The Trouble with Potions
by NataraWilliams
Summary: In his seventh year at Hogwarts, James' life is going alright. Despite his tragic past, he has charm, good looks, fame and two best friends, Teddy and Fred. However, when his mortal enemy attempts to teach him a lesson, he vows revenge, putting his good fortune and his cousin Rose in serious jeopardy. Scorpius Rose, James OC


**Harry Potter Next Generation:**

**The Trouble with Potions**

**Chapter 1- James Potter**

James tore through the corridor, the easy grin never leaving his face as his feet thundered down the halls. Turning, he raced down the stairs, almost knocking down a pretty Ravenclaw girl as he went. He halted a moment, held her steady and gave her a half-smile.

"Sorry sweetheart," he smirked before taking off once more. Hearing the sound of tittering behind him, he smiled to himself. _ She wants me _he thought as he scampered down to the second floor and flung himself at the statue that stood against the wall, around the corner from the staircase. He took a moment to examine the craft of the detailed carving: the bust of Albus Dumbledore, the school's old headmaster and his little brother's namesake was made with incredible skill and care. Glancing about to see if anyone was watching, he drew his wand, tapping it three times against the stone figure: once over each of his unseeing eyes and once more on his large nose. The wooden stadium the bust stood upon gave out a low creak as the outline of a door appeared deep in the grain. James forced the door open with his shoulder and threw himself inside, slamming the doorway behind him as silently as possible. Taking moment to catch his breath, he murmured "_Lumos"_, letting the thin light flow into the small room. In his fifth year of Hogwarts, his best friend Fred and he had discovered the area behind the statue as they searched for somewhere to hide when they cut class. They'd originally used the Room of Requirement, but its whereabouts were too well-known for a suitable hiding area; several times, they had discovered the Room was already busy with amorous couples or study groups who didn't wish to be disturbed. After a few weeks of exploring, Fred's father had finally given in and taught them how to enter the small chamber in the statue, which he'd always known existed but never had an opportunity to use. Over the years, they had filled it with soft cushions from the Gryffindor common room, food stolen from the kitchens, and stocks of merchandise from Fred's fathers joke store, which was littered all over the floor. James made his way over to the pile of cushions, tripping over a box of fireworks as he went, and let out a low cry as something grabbed his leg. He fell backwards, his heart thudding and his wand light extinguishing as it tumbled from his grip. His shoulder cracked against the wooden floor, flaring with pain. Laughter filled the room.

"Scared you," came the voice in the darkness. Another light appeared from beside him, making James wince. Fred's face materialised before him, sniggering.

'You did not," said James, shoving Fred to the side as he crawled to retrieve his wand. "You may have broken my shoulder though."

"I'm sure you'll live," said Fred, still chuckling. He pushed his auburn hair out of his eyes, his handsome, high-cheekboned face glowing eerily in the dim light. As James hauled himself to his feet, wand safely returned to his hand, he felt something being pushed into his grasp.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Chocolate cake. I took a little trip down to the kitchens this morning. I think we may be set for life."

"Those elves," laughed James. "What would we do without them?"

"What are you doing in here anyway? Don't you have a class or something?"

"Free period.' James' reply was almost unintelligible due to his mouthful of cake. "I'm just hanging out."

"I should have guessed. Who chased you down here?"

"Who said I was chased? I just came down here for some calming reflection time, thank you very much."

"Of course you did. Was it Goyle again?"

"Well, if you must know, yes. I think I lost him around the fifth floor, but I don't want to take any chances. He wasn't exactly in the best of moods."

"One day, he's going to catch up with you, you know."

"Oh please, he's a mountain. He isn't going to catch me." James rooted through the piles of food and found a flagon of pumpkin juice, which he chugged down immediately. All the running had left him parched.

"What did you do this time?"

James grinned. "He was in the owlery, so I set all the birds on him. A quick _iratus _spell and they all swooped in for attack. He never even saw it coming."

"I swear James," replied Fred shaking his head, "couldn't you pick an easier target? You're just asking for some more beatings."

"Ah, don't worry. He's never beaten me too badly, has he? He'd have to actually catch me." James surveyed his friend. "What are you doing in here anyhow? Don't tell me someone's after you as well?"

Fred held up a stack of dog-eared textbooks. "Studying, my good man. Those NEWTS don't pass themselves."

"NEWTS? They aren't for months, the year's only just started."

"I need to get an early start, or else I won't pass a single one."

"Oh please, just glance over it once and you'll be fine. Take a look at Teddy's notes if you need to."

"We aren't all naturally brilliant like you."

James sighed. "True, true." He rested his ear against the door way, hearing nothing but faint chatter outside. "I think the coast is clear. Old Goyle's too thick to wait around for too long." He turned to his friend. "Are you coming?"

Fred sighed. "Why not? I won't get any studying done. I can look at it as much as I want, it just never sticks, you know?"

"Don't worry. You don't need any NEWTS to run a joke emporium."

"Yeah but…"

James pushed on the wood of the door, letting it open a crack, golden light flooding the room. 'Come on," he said impatiently, and the two friends stepped outside, closing the door rapidly whilst making sure no one saw them. James turned the corner, and jumped as he found himself chest to chest to a familiar face.

"James!" cried Lily, flinging her arms around his neck. 'Thank goodness I've found you."

"Hey Lilipad," he replied, swinging her off her feet. "How's the second day?"

"Not off to the best start. Do you know where the Charms classrooms are? I need to be in Professor Finnigan's class, I was meant to be there ten minutes ago." Lily gazed at him hopefully, her dark brown eyes glinting in the light.

"Alright. Now, what you want to do is go down to the bottom floor, right down to the dungeons. Go left at the wall of skulls and through the big black doors, you can't miss it."

Lily hesitated. "Are you sure? Someone told me it was on the fourth floor."

'Come on Lils, I've been here six years, I know where the charms classrooms are. Isn't that right, Fred?"

"You certainly do," he stated, shooting a knowing glance at his friend. Lily was reluctant for a moment, before trusting the advice, her small face lighting up.

"Thanks James. I'll see you later." She bounced off down the stairs, leaving James spluttering on the stairway.

"You are going to hell," remarked Fred, as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

"If she hasn't worked out that she shouldn't trust me after all this time, she needs some awakening. I'm sure the Potions Master will be more than accommodating." He paused as they arrived at the Common Room Passageway, where the Fat Lady was tapping her fingers impatiently against her table. 'Do you remember the password?"

"Senora gorda."

"Ah yes." James turned to the portrait. "Senora gorda."

The Fat Lady let out a sigh. "You only left the room twenty minutes ago. I wish you'd make up your minds."

"I'm so sorry," replied James smoothly, "We didn't mean to inconvenience you. I mean, you must have to deal with so much, what with no one complimenting you for your hard work. And what fine work you do, I might add."

"Yes, well…" the Fat Lady shuffled, obviously flattered. "I mean… it is nice to be appreciated. I do put up with a lot you know." James nodded, wearing his "understanding" expression. The portrait swung open, the sound of the Fat Lady twittering still clearly audible.

"Have a nice day," smiled James, starting through the doorway as Fred rolled his eyes. They were about to enter when a call cut them short.

"Potter! James Potter!"

James turned to seek the source of the voice, finding a beautiful girl of about fifteen or sixteen running towards him. She was tall and slender, with light olive skin and straight mahogany waves of hair that fell down to her waist. She stopped before him, her cheeks flushed from running.

"Can I help you?" he asked, giving her the charming half-smile that girls generally fell for. He had always known he was handsome, with his father's thick black hair and glittering green eyes, as well as his mother's lean form and smooth pale skin. He enjoyed seeing girls fall for him when they spoke to him, enjoyed hearing them giggle to his friends and compare what he'd said to each of them. From what he could tell, this girl seemed like easy prey: after all, she had literally run after him.

"You are James Potter, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, just leave me dangling open," came the Fat Lady's muffled voice. "Don't even both closing me. How rude."

James disregarded her. "That would be me."

"Oh good."

The girl reached out and slapped him across the face, almost making him lose his balance. His cheek flamed up as tears welled instantly in his eyes. Burning with humiliation, he blinked them back.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, taking a closer look at the girl's face. Had he gone out with her and forgotten her? Had he stolen her homework without her knowledge? Had he dated her best friend? In all truth, he didn't think he'd ever seen her before today, or if he had, he hadn't noticed her.

She stretched out her hand, as though to shake his hand and he flinched despite himself. Biting back her smile, she reached out and yanked his hand away from his burning cheek, forcibly shaking it.

"I don't believe we've met. Elina Goyle."

James stopped short. "Goyle?" he asked. "As in… Vincent Goyle?"

"Yes."

"Are we talking about the same Vincent Goyle? About six feet tall, wide as a car, looks sort of like a gorilla?"

She reached up and smacked him again, sending James reeling back into the wall behind him, knocking his sore shoulder. This time, her ring caught against his lip, blood leaking down his chin.

"You tell him," came the Fat Lady's voice again. "You have to show those boys who's in charge! I'd slap them myself, if I wasn't in this pesky painting."

James ignored her once more. "Stop hitting me," he demanded, surprised by the shake in his usually steady voice.

"Stop harassing my brother."

Rage flared in James' chest. "Why? Does the Hippogriff need his kid sister to fight his battles?"

She raised her hand to smack him again, but he managed to dodge in time, catching her wrist in his grip. "Stop!" he ordered, but she yanked her hand back as quickly as if his touch had burned her.

"I want you to leave my brother alone. He's never done anything to you and I won't see you torture him any longer."

James let out an incredulous laugh. "Never done anything to me? He's beaten me up more times than I can count."

"After everything you've done to him, are you really surprised?" clipped Elina.

"Everything _I've_ done? Did you miss what he's done to me over the years?"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to torture him for the rest of his life. I know guys like you. You play your little games with people and hurt anybody stupid enough to be in your way and think you can charm your way out of ever being caught. Well, let me tell you, these things catch up with you eventually."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" James was truly furious now, all charm dropped from his voice. "Are you threatening me?'

"Would I do something like that?" Her blue eyes widened in mock innocence, a malicious half smile still playing about her mouth. She leaned closer, so close James could see his own reflection in her eyes. "You make me sick, James Potter. You and people like you, little boys who think people are their dolls to play with until they're sick of them.'

"I…I…"

"I'm serious. I want you to leave my brother alone, do you understand?"

After a moment of James gaping at her, speechless in both anger and shock, Elina reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. Her nails dug into his skin as he squirmed in her grasp. Still, she didn't let go.

"I asked you a question," she said, each word razor sharp. "Do. You. Understand?"

The words that came out of his mouth sounded nothing like him, each word unsure and lost.

'Alright, alright. I understand."

For a moment, it seemed like she was finished, and she began to pull away. However, she quickly thought better of it and pushed him up against the wall, pressing her wand into the base of his throat. James let out a slight choking sound, for which he could have kicked himself. He leaned his head back instinctively, his head clunking against the stone of the wall behind him.

"I mean it, Potter. I will make you regret it if you hurt my brother again."

With that, she jaunted away, leaving James pressing his fingers against the red spot on his neck, which he could already feel bruising. As she turned the corner, James snapped back into himself, pulling himself upright as he pressed his hand to his cheek, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. He turned to see Fred, whose entire body was shaking with hysterical laughter, barely keeping himself on his feet as he grasped at the portrait. The Fat Lady was unimpressed.

"Will you at least have the decency to decide whether you will stay inside or outside the common room? I can't simply hang here forever."

James nudged Fred with his foot, cursing the blush he could feel in his cheeks. "Shut up," he mumbled. "It's not funny."

Fred was now in such peals of maddened laughter that nothing but desperate gasps were escaping. His attempt to speak only allowed him to utter single words between his frantic breaths. "She…Goyle…smack…fifth grader…_your… face_…!"

James sucked his lips together. "Yes, hilarious. Come on." He pushed past Fred, who was still convulsing against the portrait and stormed into the common room before letting out a groan when he saw who inhabited it. The couple kissing by the fireplace sprang apart, burbling half-formed excuses. The boy looked up, and, recognising James, grinned.

"Oh. Hey, James. Don't worry, Vic, it's just James."

"Teddy. Vicky." James nodded his greeting before collapsing into one of the cushioned armchairs. Victoire came and perched on the arm of his chair, her white-gold hair gleaming in the firelight as she examined his face. Moodily, he wiped away the last of the blood from his split lip and turned away, not wanting to deal with his cousin tonight. As fond as he was of her, she had never managed to understand when to leave him be.

"What's wrong?" she asked. There was still a slight French lilt to her accent, despite how long it had been since she had lived with her mother. He caught Teddy gazing at her adoringly and couldn't help letting out a contemptuous snort as he sunk lower in his chair.

"Nothing," he grumbled.

Teddy came and stood behind Victoire, stroking her hair as he looked as his friend, whistling as he saw the state of James' face.

"Who got at you? You look like crap."

"No one." James rose to his feet, almost knocking Victoire off her seat. "You two lovebirds go back to your business. Call me when it's time for dinner, won't you?"

Teddy cut him off. "Oh no, you don't. I can feel a great story brewing." James shook him off, annoyed, making his way for the stairs.

Fred chose that moment to stumble into the common room, still chortling. Teddy's face lit up.

"What happened?" he asked, bounding over to Fred in excitement. "Tell me!"

Fred was only too pleased to tell the story. "Do you know Goyle's younger sister?" he asked happily.

"Dina or something isn't it? Carolina?"

"No, Elina," chimed Victoire. "Her name is Elina. She's in Dom's year. I remember her talking about her a little while ago. She's a little genius at potions, apparently. What about her?"

"You would not believe what she just said to James."

As Teddy and Victoire scurried to sit down and hear the story, James walked away, making his way up to the dormitory, his cheeks burning from more than just the pain. Flopping down on his bed, he could hear Fred's dramatic recount of the story, elements of fiction working their way into the fact, punctuated by Victoire and Teddy's laughter. He rolled onto his stomach, pulling out "_Tomes of Transfiguration, Volume IX"_ and flipping to a random page before slamming it shut once more. His mind was still brooding with the image of the little Goyle's face pulled into a grimace of superiority as she forced her wand into the base of his neck.

James was not accustomed to strong, complex emotions. Even though he enjoyed messing with people and torturing the weaker, he dealt mostly in light-hearted matters. At his worst, he still acted for pleasure rather than from a place of malice or cruelty. However, for the first time in a long time, James felt a passionate emotion. The sheer, unbridled rage he felt towards Elina Goyle gnawed at him restlessly, making him toss and turn. Over the years, James had come to the conclusion that he was better than most. He liked to think that this conclusion had come, not from a place of vanity, but rather from a careful process of observation. He knew he was clever, attractive and charming; he'd been told as such, and had proven each of these attributes time and time again. Even on the rare when bigger guys such as Goyle managed to catch and beat him, he wore the wounds like medals: he'd always thought violence was the last resort of someone who lacked the intelligence to retaliate. However, there was something in the look Elina Goyle had given him that made him feel like the scum floating on the surface of the great lake outside. As much as people, especially his mother, had tried to guilt him for his actions before, no one had ever made him feel quite so worthless. He loathed her for that. And James Potter, who did not loathe easily, was not someone who forgave quickly. And he never forgot.

…..

Later that evening, after an afternoon of accomplishing almost nothing, he made his way down to the Great Hall for dinner, his attempt to clean himself up having proved futile. His right cheek was still a bright red, with a mark where her ring had struck him, and a scratch where it had torn his lip. A purple bruise was forming where her wand had jabbed him, but he masked it with a high necked sweater. Now suitably calm, James settled down at the table next to Teddy, who knew James well enough not to mention the Elina incident.

"How's your schedule looking?" he asked instead.

"Can't complain. I've got more free time then I know what to do with."

"That's for studying," supplied Teddy helpfully. "And Quidditch, in your case."

"Don't ruin this for me."

Victoire came over and settled herself on Teddy's knees, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Come on," moaned James. "Must you? Some people are trying to eat."

"The food hasn't arrived yet," replied Victoire snippily. "I'm surprised you still have an appetite after that little girl today."

Victoire did not know James like Teddy did.

"Imagine! Overpowered by a girl two years younger than you. Wand in hand and everything! Oh James, how funny."

Teddy shot James an apologetic glance, but James forced himself to lose interest. The topic of conversation changed quite suddenly anyway when James' cousin Rose came storming towards them, standing just beside James, the anger emanating from her palpable.

"That was completely uncalled for," she snapped at him, one hand on her hip. Moments like this, she looked almost exactly like her mother.

"What was?"

"Don't play innocent."

"I wasn't. I was just wondering which of my many uncalled for actions you were referring to?"

"You sent Lily roaming around the dungeons for almost half an hour before she found the potions classroom. As you probably guessed, Professor Zabini wasn't too happy to see her wandering in halfway through his sixth-year class."

"No, he never was the welcoming type, was he?"

"He took twenty points from Gryffindor. And when she finally found her way to the Charms classroom, Professor Finnigan took another twenty points away for missing class."

"Forty points on her second day? We'll make a Potter of her yet."

Rose glared at him. "It isn't funny. She's really upset, James."

"Oh please, it was only a joke. I'll go and apologise afterwards, okay?"

After a moment of internal debate, Rose accepted his answer and settled down beside him. "Alright then. But you had better go and see her."

"Easy now Rosie," quipped Fred, sitting down opposite them. "James has had a difficult day as it is."

Much to Fred's disappointment, Rose did not take the bait. "Yes, well, I don't care. Lily's just getting used to Hogwarts and you shouldn't play with her the way you do James. It's just not fair."

"Hmm James," said Fred mock thoughtfully, "Where have you heard that before?"

Once again, Rose didn't rise to the occasion. "Just… just give her a break, okay?"

With that, Rose got to her feet and went to sit at the other end of the table, where Lily sat with her head resting on her favourite cousin, Hugo's shoulder. James told himself he'd make it up to her later: there was a bag of her favourite sugar quills somewhere in his trunk, and Lily could never hold a grudge when sweets were involved.

"Having a rough day with the ladies, aren't we?" scoffed Fred, and Victoire laughed as well. Only Teddy gave James a sympathetic look, although he said nothing.

James looked up as the doors flung open, and Vincent Goyle walked into the great hall, accompanied by his best friend Andrew Yaxley and his girlfriend Jenna Dolohov. He really was a great bull of a man, with a blank face and a large, meaty body. His eyes were blue, but they were watery and small, almost invisible under the shock of dark brown hair that covered much of his face. Even from across the room, James could see the scratches the birds had left on his ugly face, brilliant against his sickly white skin. How he and Elina had come from the same genes was a mystery. James' gaze followed Goyle and his crew and they made their way towards the Slytherin table, where he was met with the face that had been plaguing his mind all afternoon. Elina Goyle, radiant as ever, was laughing with Scorpius Malfoy, the little twerp whose father had once known James' own. He could not stop his lip from curling at the sight of the girl he loathed so powerfully, the girl who could reduce him to an apologizing mess against the wall with her wand to his throat and her hand across his face.

All throughout dinner, James' mind kept lapsing from the conversation between Teddy, Fred and Victoire. As much as he tried to focus, he found his attention drawn by the fifth year at the end of the Slytherin table. At one point during the meal, she had looked up; their eyes met for a second, before she looked away and smiled at something Scorpius had said. Even from across the room, James could sense the connection between the two as they leaned towards each other, their heads almost touching. The idea that struck James was so sudden, so brilliant, it almost swept him away. Glancing down the table, he looked at where Rose had successfully comforted Lily, who was happily telling an animated story with the use of many hand gestures. Rose was very pretty, that much couldn't be denied, although he saw her as too much of a sister to be able to objectively judge her beauty. Her long chestnut hair shone in the light and her large eyes were a pale blue-grey in her heart-shaped face. James' grin widened as he examined her, a plan forming in his mind. Perfect.

Towards the end of the meal, he strode over to Rose and knelt beside her. She hardly deigned to look at him, but Lily seemed completely forgiving.

"Hi James," she said contentedly, helping herself to a second slice of treacle.

"Hey Lilipad," he offered, pushing her red hair back and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Sorry about today."

"It's fine," she replied. "Apparently the lesson I missed was really boring."

"Completely," supplied Hugo. "We didn't even learn anything."

James ruffled Hugo's hair, making him flinch back. "Thanks kiddo. Hey Rose, do you know where Dom is?"

"Probably off with Tim."

"Tim?"

"Yeah, her latest boyfriend."

"I see. Maybe you can help me."

"I can try," said Rose dryly, but she offered up a small smile.

"What do you know about Elina Goyle? She's in your year, isn't she?"

"Elina? Yeah she's in a few of my classes. Only one who ever beat me at potions," answered Rose with a touch of bitterness.

"What do you know about her?"

"Not that much, I guess. She's fifteen, she's in Slytherin, she's Vincent Goyle's little sister..."

James brushed this away impatiently. "I know all that. What else?"

"Um…she's nice enough…"

"What about her and Scorpius Malfoy?" asked James, cutting to the chase.

"Oh! Yeah, they've been dating for the past few months. Why do you ask?"

"Ah-ha!" cried James. "I knew it!" He gave Rose a quick hug that almost suffocated her. 'Thanks Rosy-Pose."

"Don't call me that!" she called after him as he strode back to his table, humming to himself. The casual smile returned to his mouth rapidly, and he tucked into his food once more, his appetite returned with gusto.

Fred noticed the change in his friend. "I know that look. I love that look. Revenge time, is it?"

James said nothing. He didn't have to. Fred and Teddy knew him well enough to know he would inform them of the plan later, when the details were straightened out. As the scheme was mulled over in James' head, he took one final look at Elina, whose hand was now pressed over Scorpius' as she gazed at him. With a small snicker, he relished the plan unfolding before him.

_Elina Goyle_, he thought to himself gleefully, _you're dealing with the wrong guy._

Not even the piles of incomplete homework could dampen his spirits that night.

**Chapter 2- Elina Goyle**

The green light of the common room made studying difficult, almost painful. An agonising headache pounded behind Elina's eyes as she tried to make the notes on the page form into coherent sentences. After another sleepless night, she couldn't seem to make herself concentrate, no matter how hard she tried. With a groan, she closed the book and let her head fall into her hands, massaging her temples.

"You okay?" came a voice that gave her almost instant comfort. She opened her eyes to see Scorpius sink to the floor beside her, craning to get a look at her face. The tired smile she gave him was gone in a few instants.

"Sure, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Scorpius pulled a silly face, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out. Elina giggled despite herself as Scorpius stood up, dragging the book off her lap. She made a half-hearted attempt to grab it.

"Give it back!"

"Oh come on. You don't want to read this." He flipped to a random page. " '_The solution to Albrigde's theory of magical vs mundane creatures can be expressed in several different forms. The primary response to this issue is generally to examine the differences in abilities of the respective species and their methods of dealing with their natural ecosystems. This can be translated into potion-making through several different principles.' _How can you read this?"

"It's potions homework."

"Thank god I dropped potions." Scorpius stretched lazily. "Do you have to finish it now? You haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Potions is first period and I haven't even had time to look at the chapter I was meant to read yet. If I fall behind on the third day, that doesn't exactly set the best tone for the year, does it? Give it back!"

She rose from her chair and reached for the book, which Scorpius jerked out of her grip just in time. "Give it!"

"Come and get it then," he laughed. When she stepped forwards to take it, he wrapped his arms around her, the corner of her textbook digging into her back, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "See" he said, as he drew back. "All better."

He leaned in to kiss her again when the wall of the common room moved to the side as the doorway was open and Vincent walked in, back from breakfast, nodding uncaringly at whatever Jenna was saying as she followed behind him. Elina felt sorry for Jenna; she was a pretty girl and sweet as anything. It wasn't that Vincent didn't care about her: he simply tended to forget that he had to make an effort in their relationship. She'd tried to speak to him about it once or twice, but he'd never seemed to understand. Brushing Jenna away, Vincent tried to make his way past Elina, but she broke away from Scorpius and grabbed his arm.

"Vince? Are you feeling any better?" she asked, as Scorpius backed away. No matter how hard she tried to draw the two together, Scorpius remained terrified of Vincent, a fact her older brother both knew and relished.

"I'm fine El, stop fussing." Vincent tried to push past her but she held him steady. Elina had always been remarkably strong, despite her slender physique.

"Just let me see." She pushed back his long fringe and examined the scratches that covered his face. A long, dark red mark went from the top of his nose to his chin, and there were a few other smaller wounds dotted around his cheeks are forehead. He dodged backwards, away from her grasp.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"_Don't_, Elina," he ordered. Ignoring him, she turned his hands palm upwards to look at the state of them. He'd held up his hands to fend off the owls, and they were now mangled and scabbed, with deep gouges.

"Oh my God, Vince. You need to clean these up, they'll get infected."

"Look, it's sweet..."

"Do you need help cleaning yourself up?"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Vincent stated as he started to walk away. Elina turned to Scorpius, who was already waving her towards her brother.

"Go take care of him El," he told her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "This is confiscated," he added, dangling her textbook in front of her. "You've done enough studying this morning."

"Thanks," she murmured, before taking off after her brother, who was halfway up the stairs already. "Come with me," she ordered, thoughtlessly reaching out to grab his hand, before pulling back when he let out a cry.

"It's fine Elina, don't worry," he argued as she dragged him upstairs and sat him down onto the bed, kneeling beside him. There were a few boys still rising from their beds, but they quickly scurried out of her way, rushing downstairs in their pyjamas.

"Of course I worry. It's my job to worry." She pulled the water jug over from his bedside table and poured some of the water onto his hands, making him gasp in pain. "It does not hurt that badly, you big baby."

That successfully shut him up, although he still bit down on his lip. "You don't have to do this, you know. It's only a few scratches."

'You were lucky. If one of those things had taken your eyes out, nobody could have done anything for you. Although it at least would have gotten that rat Potter expelled."

"Potter," growled Vincent, his beady eyes narrowing. "I'll get him back."

"Don't be stupid, Vince, you can't. Any more assault on your record and they'll expel you. You know Potter will tell on you. You'd be playing right into his hands."

"Urgh. I will get him back though. You'll see."

"I'm sure you will." Elina uncapped the small blue bottle she kept tucked into her robes, and took her brothers hand in hers, turning it over. "I won't lie to you," she told him. "This will hurt."

The brown liquid sizzled as it touched his broken skin, and Vincent bucked on the bed, letting out a low yelp of pain. She held him tightly as the skin knitted back together, the scabbed lines slowly disappearing into the flesh of his hand. He winced and hissed as the wounds stung, but managed to remain quiet as first one hand, then the other, was healed. After a few moments, he inspected his raw but restored fingers.

"What the hell is that stuff?"

"I made it. It's just a simple concoction of griffler claw, curare and some boomslang venom, good for healing most flesh wounds. It's sort of like essence of dittany, but I found a way to reduce scarring as well. Here." She pressed the bottle into his newly healed hand. "You can do your face yourself. I don't want to get it in your eye or anything. That could do some serious damage."

"Yeah, good thinking. Thanks sis."

Elina moved to leave the empty dormitory, before turning back at the doorway. "I hope this is the last you have to deal with Potter."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"I know. I just think that he should get some justice for once."

Vincent looked up. "Oh no, El. Don't you dare go and talk to him."

"I won't," lied Elina. "But would that really be so bad?" She tucked her hands nervously behind her back. Her palms still stung from slapping James yesterday, and there was a spot of blood on her family ring, the golden band with the insignia of the running boar.

"I'm serious. Don't. I don't want people thinking I can't fight my own battles."

"I said I wouldn't, did I?" she replied, guilt flooding her chest. She made her way downstairs and flopped down on the couch, letting her head fall into Scorpius' lap. He was flipping through her potions book, looking bemused.

"Once again, how do you read this? I haven't even heard half these words before."

Elina shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't matter. Do you think I did the right thing going behind Vincent's back and talking to Potter?"

Scorpius put the book aside to look at her properly. "Are you still worried about that?"

"I suppose. On the one hand, I hate lying to him, but I just can't stand to see him get hurt. And that bloody Potter is just so…so…" She got to her feet and started pacing in frustration. "I hate him! He's just so damn cocky and smug and struts about thinking the world is his oyster. I just…I just_ hate_ him." She turned on Scorpius, who was watching her calmly. "He started picking on Vincent on their first day of school, did you know? Before he had his growth spurt, back when he was only about half James' size. He kept taunting Vince until he hit him, and then got my brother thrown in detention every other week. Even now, nothing's changed. And now, with what happened yesterday, I just can't stand it anymore. He could have been permanently scarred…"

"Hey, hey, hey. Shhh." Scorpius pulled Elina back down onto the couch. "Breathe. It's okay."

"It's not okay. He can't go around treating people like that."

"I know. But people like Potter get what they deserve eventually. It's sweet of you to care so much about your brother, but I'm fairly sure he can take care of himself."

"Still scared of him, right?"

"Terrified. He hates me doesn't he?"

"Oh he doesn't hate you. He's my brother, his job is to make you uncomfortable."

"Well, it's working. Do you want to go down to breakfast?"

Elina looked longingly at the door, before reaching over Scorpius to get to her potions book. "I don't have time. I have twenty more pages to finish in the next…" she glanced at her watch. "Damn. I have ten minutes." She gave Scorpius a nudge. "Get out of here, you're distracting me."

"It's a gift and a curse." He leaned forward and kissed her. "I'll bring you back some toast."

"Perfect."

As he left through the doorway, Elina struggled her way through the rest of the chapter, pain still pulsing in her head. She forced herself through the text, although she barely seemed to register any of it. When the time came for first period, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and stay there for the next few days. Instead, she dragged herself upright and, along with the rest of the common room, strode outside, the regular light coming as a shock to her unaccustomed eyes. The potions classroom was only a few steps from the common room, but Professor Zabini gave her a glare as though she had arrived late. She scurried to her desk and dropped her head down, hoping her headache would dissipate. It wasn't helped by the constant chatter of people around her or the powerful stench of the potion rooms, the odour of the first year's failed attempts at potion making.

"Settle down! Settle down class." Professor Zabini was a tall, imposing man with dark skin and darker hair, the sort of man with a gaze so intense it could freeze students in their tracks. "Now, I presume you've all done the reading?"

There was a soft murmur of assent. "Alright then. Mr…Scarmander?"

Lysander Scamander, a beautiful boy with long blond hair and hazel eyes, looked absently at the professor. "Yes?"

"Can you summarize the chapter for me?"

Lysander glanced up peacefully. "No."

Professor Zabini looked taken aback. "No? And why is that, Mr Scarmander?"

"I didn't read it. I don't believe in comparing different species of animals."

"You don't believe in it?"

"No, sir. You see, I have seen much of both magical and muggle animals, and I've decided that you can't compare them, as they are in such different environments. Also, there were some enormously important magical animal species that I'm sure we're mentioned in the chapter, such as the grumbletook and the flimworm."

A snicker rose up in the classroom, but Lysander didn't seem to mind, gazing mildly about himself. Elina had never minded the boy; he seemed harmless enough, keeping mostly to himself and immune to the way others mocked him. Of the two Scarmander boys, Lysander was the eldest and the most grounded, although he still seemed oblivious to his surroundings. In fact, Elina was relatively certain that the entire Scarmander family lived in a world of their own. Professor Zabini, however, eyed Lysander a though he were highly dangerous.

"What about detention, Mr Scarmander? Do you believe in detention?"

"Do I believe it exists? Or do I believe it should? Because I have written some strongly worded letters to the Headmistress on the subject…"

"Detention!" interrupted Professor Zabini. "Report to my office on Friday after school. Now, who else wishes to explain the chapter?"

Rose Weasley's hand shot into the air. The sound of her voice droned through the classroom as Professor Zabini clung to her every word, nodding emphatically at every point she made correctly. Elina buried her face deeper into her arms, wishing Weasley would simply be quiet until her headache wore off. As talented as Elina was at practical potions, she had no interest in the theory behind it. As the lesson lagged on and on, she found herself slowly slumping forwards, exhaustion weighing her eyes closed. The lecture on the properties of magical creatures wore on as she fell further and further asleep.

The sudden sound of a dozen students pushing back from their desks and gathering their belongings sent Elina jumping into the air, her books and quills going flying. Her pot of red ink tipped backwards, staining her robes as she shot upright. She cursed, dropping to her knees to collect her books, which were also covered with crimson ink. As she rose to her feet, her eyes met a pair of hazel ones and she started once more, almost dropping _"Advanced Potion-Making" _and _"Magical Properties of Flora and Fauna"_ for a second time. Lysander Scarmander held out a few sheets of parchment, covered in her neat, spidery writing.

"There are a few ink stains, but they can probably be salvaged."

"Thank you," said Elina awkwardly, hugging her notes to her chest.

Lysander leaned closer. "Don't worry. Potions isn't a real subject anyway."

"Oh really?" Elina smiled.

"Oh yes. You see, they only teach us a fraction of the potions available, and edit out several powerful animals that could have drastic effects on the lives of wizards."

Elina couldn't resist joining in. "And why would they do that?"

"Well, you see, the Ministry doesn't want us to have too much power. Potions are the means to getting a new breed of extraordinary wizards. There are several concoctions that can be made from the Crumple-horned Snorckack that can triple a wizard's power." Lysander stopped whispering and leaned back. "Promise you won't tell?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Oh here, I almost forgot." Lysander passed her an emerald and gold quill, the feather as thick and lush as an eagle's.

"I think you're mistaken. It's beautiful, but it isn't mine."

"No, I know. It's mine." Lysander reached into his pocket and drew out her quill: a modest piece with a simple brown feather. It had been snapped in half. "Jaime Corner stood on it by accident. I thought you might need a new one."

"Thank you, but I couldn't possibly take yours."

"Please, do. I'm sure you'll put it to better use than I did." The smile Lysander gave her was the most genuine and serene she'd never seen.

"Oh." Elina was oddly touched. "Don't you need it?"

Lysander retrieved a second quill, just as beautiful as the one he'd given her, but black and silver this time. "I always carry spares." He leaned in again. "_You never know when glenpixles will strike._" He turned and strode out of the dungeons, humming softly to himself. Elina stared after him for a second before turning away and almost running headlong into Professor Zabini.

"Did you have a good sleep, Miss Goyle?"

"Oh…I'm sorry, Professor. I, um, I didn't mean…"

"I have been cutting you some slack over the years, Miss Goyle, not only because I was close with your father, but also because you show indisputable talent as a potions student. However, just because I allowed you to coast through one lesson does not mean I will allow you to do as such for the rest of the year."

"Yes Professor. I understand."

"You're covered with ink. Clean yourself up."

"Yes. Sorry sir."

Elina scurried outside of the classroom, trying to brush off the rest of the ink, but only ending up with scarlet ink blotted all over her hands. With a curse, she made her way to the first floor bathrooms, pushing her way through the crowds of students scrambling to their next classes in large, laughing groups. Just as she was about to push the bathroom door open, she heard a cry coming from somewhere down the hall. She paused, listening intently. When the second cry rang out, Elina started walking down the corridor, speeding up as a third cry rang out. Pressing her ears against each of the doors, she waited for the sound to become clearer, when it suddenly stopped. Turning the corner, she reached a smaller passageway with three doorways and waited to hear the sound once more. The fourth yell was more of a screech, coming from the last door. Elina glanced around for a moment, wondering if anyone else had come running, but most students were safely at their classes, and the doorway was carefully tucked away, far from prying ears. After a moment of hesitation, Elina forced the door open and stormed into the room, stepping back at the sight before her.

Lorcan Scarmander was dangling from the beams on what seemed to be invisible rope, a thick vine-like plant twined around his body. The first-year's face was blank, but he let out another yelp as the creeper constricted around his body, crushing his chest. At his feet stood four third-year Hufflepuffs with ugly, pug-like faces contorted in cruel laughter as they waved their wands towards the plant, one of them content to simply poke Lorcan in the stomach over and over again. They stopped short when Elina came in, one of them dropping his wand as his grip went slack.

"What are you doing?" asked Elina slowly. The boys grunted and pushed each other in response. Elina opened the door wider, stepping aside to give them a way out.

"Get out. Just get out." As they bumbled towards the door, their heads down, Elina stopped them for a moment. "Next time, I will get the Headmistress."

They nodded frantically, almost pushing her out of their way in their desperation to exit the room. One of them, the one who dropped his wand, paused at the doorway and attempted to slink back inside. One look at Elina's face froze him in his tracks.

"I need my wand," he mumbled, gesturing towards the room. Elina stormed across the room, grabbed the stunted wand, and threw it at the stout student. He fumbled to catch it, racing out the door as he called to his friends to wait up. Elina watched him go for a moment, before resting her hand on Lorcan's leg.

"Lorcan? Are you okay? It's me, Elina, remember? I'm in your brother's year?" Lorcan said nothing, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Although he'd only been at Hogwarts for three days, news had spread of Lysander's little brother, who never spoke to anyone. He'd been a real trial for the teachers apparently; no matter what he was threatened with, he never responded and none of the Professors knew how to deal with such blatant yet harmless disobedience. Elina stared at the vines that were wrapped tightly around the youngest Scarmander's torso: they'd stopped squeezing, but Lorcan was still hovering several feet in the air, completely paralysed.

"How did they even do this to you?" she wondered out loud. "These are some advanced spells." Lorcan simply stared at her. "It'll be okay, I promise. I'll get you down," she promised, pointing her wand at the suspended body. "_Finite Incantatem." _

Nothing happened.

"Damn. That usually works." Elina hesitated a moment, mulling over her options. "_Relashio!"_

The vines fell away from Lorcan's body, leaving him levitated. They withered away as they hit the floor, reduced to grey ash lying against the stone. Elina circled Lorcan, who hung still in the air: she wasn't sure if he was paralysed or simply immobile by choice.

"Can you move?" she asked. He showed no sign of having heard her but he raised his arms above his head before dropping them back to his side. Reassured, Elina directed her wand at him once more.

"_Salvo Dimittam!"_

Lorcan dropped a few inches, causing him to let out a small scream as he rushed towards the stone floor. Thankfully, he stopped about four inches above the ground. Elina grabbed his leg, as through that could have saved him.

"Sorry! I'm sorry," she gushed, her heart thudding. She decided Lorcan's silence must mean he was alright. As she lifted her wand once more to try another spell, she heard a voice behind her that made her spin.

"Miss Goyle!"

Professor Jones, the transfiguration teacher, was a short, black-haired teacher with pink cheeks and wrinkles creased around her eyes. Her hand was pressed to her mouth in shock as she surveyed the scene before her: Lorcan dangling in the air with Elina's wand pointed at his chest. Elina stepped back, her words colliding with each other in a rush to escape from her throat.

"No! No I didn't, I would never…"

Professor Jones was one of the kindest teachers at Hogwarts, yet her eyes were narrowed in distrust and disgust and she looked at Elina. "What would you have me believe, Miss Goyle? That Mr Scarmander simply lifted himself into the air for his own amusement?"

"No! There were some boys here, they were the ones who did this! I was only helping him down, I swear."

"Which boys?" asked Professor Jones, crossing her arms angrily.

Elina stopped short. "I don't know their names. They were third years, I think, they were in Hufflepuff…"

"What would you have me do, Miss Goyle? Question every third year boy in Hufflepuff?" With a wave of her wand, Lorcan came gently floating to the ground, almost falling off balance as his feet hit the ground. Stumbling uncertainly, his features blanched, although his face remained completely emotionless. He would have keeled over had Elina not grabbed him to hold him upright. She knelt beside him, staring at him intently.

"Lorcan, I need you to tell her it wasn't me. Please."

Lorcan did nothing but look up at her with his enormous hazel eyes, so like his brother's. He was a smaller replica of Lysander, with ink black hair instead of golden, but identical fine features. As relaxed and blank as his thin face was, Elina could feel him trembling against her.

"How convenient. A victim who doesn't speak."

Elina could feel tears of frustration pricking at her eyes. "I didn't! Please believe me, I found him here. I wouldn't do this!" She turned to Lorcan. "I know you don't speak. All I need you to do is shake or nod your head. Did I do this to you?"

Never breaking eye contact, Lorcan did not react to Elina's words. Professor Jones waited a moment, pursing her lips sourly, before giving her a withering look.

"Detention Miss Goyle. Report to my office after school tomorrow." She marched towards Elina and yanked Lorcan out of her grasp. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you to the Hospital wing."

Lorcan kept his eyes fixed on Elina as he walked away, giving her a long, mournful look. She turned away from his, lowering her head into her hands again, only looking up when Professor Jones let out a gasp.

"What is this, Miss Goyle?" Elina looked up as Professor Jones spun Lorcan around to show that his shirt was stained a rich burgundy colour. "Is he bleeding?"

"It's only ink. Professor please, I…"

"I don't want to hear it. You know, Lorcan's mother and I used to be quite close, and I can assure you that you will never find a sweeter, more sincere family. A fifth year like you taking your stress out on a defenceless first year? Well, that is just despicable." Confident her speech had made an impact, the Professor turned and stormed out of the door, pulling a dishevelled Lorcan alongside her. Elina slid down the wall of the abandoned room and let her head fall into her hands, a slicing pain searing in her temples. That was where she sat until her next class: ink-stained, sobbing and covered with the grey ash from the shrivelled vines.

**Chapter 3- James Potter**

"That is doubtlessly the worst idea you've ever had."

James gave Teddy a contemptuous glare. "Don't blame me if you're too immature to understand simple brilliance."

"I agree with Ted. I mean, you've had some bad ideas before, but this one's really just terrible."

"Oh come on, Fred, not you two."

The three of them were huddled in their secret room during the lunch period, munching on the food they kept stored for such emergency meetings. Fred's last trip to the kitchen had gotten them a rich quiche, thick with cheese and bacon, which had almost disappeared already. Fred cut himself a third slice as he shook his head knowingly, his face lit by the light of their three wands.

"Come on James. Why do you even care? She's just some fifth year."

"Yeah," supplied Teddy. "In all honesty, this seems a little crazy."

James rolled his eyes at his best friends. "Oh please. Would this really be the first time we did something crazy?"

"Okay, maybe crazy isn't the word I'm looking for," said Ted thoughtfully. "It just seems like an awful lot of trouble for some girl you met yesterday."

"Mmph," added Fred, swallowing a mouthful of quiche. "What is it about this girl anyway? She isn't the first person to tear you down a peg or two."

James pondered for a moment, wondering what he could say. How could he explain the way the girl made him feel, how she had stripped him of all his pride in a matter of moments? After struggling to phrase his thoughts for a few seconds, he opted for an easier answer.

"She's Goyle's sister, right? Don't you see the games he's playing, sending his kid sister to soften us up? He's trying to get one over on us." He turned towards Fred. "Come on, think of everything Goyle has done to us over the years. We need to remind the both of them who's in charge. Make sure they know we haven't gone soft in our old age."

"Don't you think the owl attack yesterday might have done that?"

"We've gotten at Goyle plenty of times. It's the girl who needs to learn a lesson. She's just like him, you know."

"Just like him, only much prettier." Fred gave James a knowing look. "Very pretty actually."

Teddy grinned. "Yes, so I'm told. Got a bit of a crush, have we James?"

James could feel the heat rushing to his face; whether it was with rage or embarrassment, he didn't know. "I'd sooner have a crush on a Hippogriff." He could sense his friends slowly losing interest. "Think about it, guys. How long has it been since we pulled a prank like this?"

"This isn't exactly a prank," started Teddy, but he was rapidly interrupted by Fred, whose eyes were starting to shine.

"You know what? It's been far too long, my good man," he exclaimed, slapping James on the back and almost knocking over a flagon of pumpkin juice in the process. "And any friend of Goyle's is an enemy of mine."

"So you're in?" asked James hopefully.

"Messing with the Goyles? How could I be out?" Whooping with joy, James pulled Fred into a bear hug, before turning his attention to Teddy, who was still gnawing on his bottom lip, torn. "Ted? You know you want to be part of this."

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on! Remember when that McLaggen fellow was all over Victoire and Fred and I drove him off her? Or when we got the position of keeper opened up for you last year?"

"I never asked you to do that," argued Teddy, but he was smiling.

"I got detention for weeks for weeks after I hit Wood with my beater's bat. And why? Because that's what friends do. And wasn't that time you spent as keeper the best three week of your life?" coaxed James. "Please Teddy? When's the last time I asked you for anything?"

With a sigh, Teddy succumbed. "Alright," he said weakly. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" celebrated James, dragging Teddy into their hug. Teddy pulled back almost instantly.

"You aren't thinking of brewing the potion yourself are you?"

James resented his friend's tone. "What does that mean?" he asked indignantly.

"Remember when you were trying to brew an Engorgement Draught and the frog you fed it to died?"

"And the same thing happened to the pigeon you were trying your euphoria potion on," added Fred helpfully.

"Point taken. No, don't worry, I wasn't planning on brewing it myself. We should probably try to avoid any deaths."

Fred laughed. "Yes, probably."

"I've got it all sorted out. Do you remember on our first potions lesson last year, when they had those test potions to demonstrate? The love potion, the luck one, the euphoria, all of those? Well, they should still be there from this year's Sixth Year demonstration. I'm thinking we just sneak down to the potions cupboard and help ourselves."

Fred rubbed his hands together evilly. "So the great potion heist takes place tonight?"

"But of course. What we'll do is…"

James' scheming was cut short by a knock on the outside of the wooden doorway.

"Teddy?" came Victoire's muffled voice. "Teddy Bear? Are you in there?"

James and Fred turned on Teddy with such force that he stepped back. "You told her about this place?" hissed James, his cheeks flushed with rage.

"Well…I- I mean, she was wondering where I disappeared to. I couldn't very well lie to her!"

"_Why?_" asked Fred furiously. "Just tell her you're outside or in the bathroom or something!"

The knocking became more and more insistent. "Teddy? I know you're in there! James? Fred?"

"I didn't tell her how to get in," offered Teddy, but both of his friends had gone in the corner to sulk, James crossing his arms childishly over his chest. Teddy looked helplessly from his friends to the source of the knocking, before making his way towards the door. His pulling it open almost knocked Victoire off her feet, but she straightened herself in time, entering the room as though she'd been welcomed inside.

"Teddy Bear! Why didn't you answer me?" she asked, swooping in to kiss him. Both James and Fred made gagging noises.

"I was coming, darling," replied Teddy, ignoring his friends. James grimaced. _Darling_, he mouthed to Fred, who chuckled.

"I missed you," she simpered. "You spend all your time down here. Can't you come for a walk with me?"

Teddy turned to James for permission, but he was still making faces at Fred. "Of course. Maybe in a bit?"

"No, now," she said plaintively. "I have classes for the rest of the day."

"Well…er…I mean…" Still getting no input from James or Fred, Teddy gave up. "Alright. Let's go."

With a content noise, Victoire peered into the room. "It's very cosy in here. I see why you like it so much." She turned to Teddy, delighted. "We should start spending time down here!"

"_No!"_ cried James and Fred simultaneously. Victoire looked shocked, but glanced at Teddy for support. He looked at his friends for permission, his eyes pleading. Feeling betrayed, James shook his head manically, slicing his finger across his throat. Teddy looked dejectedly at his girlfriend.

"It really isn't up to me," he said desperately. "Come along, my angel." He led Victoire briskly from the room as she craned her head to get a better look. Teddy shot them an apologetic look, but James was unimpressed.

"_Come along, my angel,"_ he mimicked.

"God, shoot me if I ever get that like over a girl," replied Fred, lounging back on the pillows.

"I wouldn't hesitate. If he tells her about the plan…"

"He won't. He's still Teddy. Loyal as a Labrador, you know that."

James paused thoughtfully. "I hope so. You can't tell anyone, okay Fred? The more people know, the more can go wrong."

"Sure, sure. We won't tell anyone. Except Rose, right?" When James didn't answer, Fred looked up. "Right?"

"Well, does she really need to know?"

"Yes! Yes absolutely! She's involved in the plan, why wouldn't we tell her about it?" When James still said nothing, Fred stood up. "Listen, you can't use Rose without at least explaining the plan to her. _And_ getting her permission."

"Okay, okay. Overprotective cousin alert."

"I'm serious James."

"I get it! Sheesh."

"I don't understand why we can't just use Dom instead. She'd enjoy it so much more, and she'd probably be better at it as well."

"Nah, she has a boyfriend."

"Really? Another one?"

"I think it was Tim or Tom or something similar."

"Huh. I swear she broke up with the last one a week ago."

"Who cares? So, we're agreed. Tell no one?"

"Except Rose."

"Except Rose, I know. I'll tell her..." Fred shot James a dark look. "I mean, I'll _ask_ her today. I promise."

Fred nodded, satisfied. "Okay good. Want to get out of here?"

"Absolutely. Victoire's ruined our room now, it smells like vanilla."

With a careful glance outside, James led Fred out of the secret chamber and down to the Great Hall for lunch.

…

"No. No, no and no. Absolutely not."

"Please, Rosy-Posy? Family first and all that?"

Rose gave him a sharp look from where she was sitting, a pile of books resting on her lap. The common room was filled with people, and they were forced to keep their voices down, although Rose seemed to have almost no interest in his plan. James itched with frustration.

"Rose, it's so simple. All you need to do is spike Scorpius' drink with Amortentia, and then let him fall in love with you. You'll only need to keep it up for a week or so, only long enough for him to break up with Elina Goyle and then you're home free. You don't even need to be charming! You could spit in his face and he'd still trail after you like a lovesick puppy. Isn't that every girl's dream? To have a boy adore you at your feet?"

"I'm not doing it James. I don't even know Elina and Scorpius. I'm not getting involved. I won't ruin some perfectly nice people's lives just because you've got some revenge plan in store. Count me out."

"You wouldn't be ruining their lives, per se."

"I said no. That's my final answer."

"You don't know Elina Goyle like I do. She deserves this."

"James…"

"I'm serious! She's a manipulative, cocky little brat who needs to be taught a lesson. You wouldn't be hurting anyone, not really. They're only fifteen, they'd break up anyway in time, you're just speeding that process up. Besides, it would be fun, don't you think? The star Slytherin chaser madly in love with you."

"He wouldn't be in love with me, not really."

"Details, details."

"What did she actually do to you anyway?" asked Rose curiously. "What could she possibly have done to upset the great James Potter this much?"

James considered his answer for a moment. Telling Rose what Elina had really said wouldn't get her on board; Rose had said many similar things over the years. He couldn't explain the way she'd affected him, so he decided to do what he did best: lie.

"She threatened Lily," he said, thinking fast. Rose's eyes widened.

"What?"

"She said that if I didn't stop messing with her sibling, something bad would happen to mine. Then she stuck her wand in my throat. See?" James pulled down his sweatshirt to show the bruise, which had now turned an ugly yellowish-brown.

"I don't believe it."

"Well it's true. Now, are you in? Someone needs to teach her a lesson, so she learns she can't threaten people like that."

Rose looked behind her to where Lily was sitting with Hugo, both of them turning mice into teacups. Whilst a cream china teacup stood before Hugo, all Lily had managed was to create a handle sticking out her mouse's back. The pitiful creature squirmed unhappily on the table top for a moment, before Hugo waved his wand towards it, his little face creased in concentration. A blue, willow-patterned teacup soon rested where the mouse had been, with no sign of its previous form aside from a small brown tail sticking out from beneath the handle. Lily pouted, but Hugo looked thrilled. Sensing Rose's gaze, he looked up and gave her a cheerful wave, beaming. After returning his smile, Rose turned back to James, her eyes steady with determination.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Really?" James was more surprised than he'd care to admit.

"No one threatens my family. Besides, how hard can it be?"

"Yes! Thank you, Rosy-Pose. I owe you." James threw his arm around his cousin, but she wriggled away.

"Correction. I'll do it so long as you never call me that again."

"You've got yourself a deal." James moved to stand up, but Rose pulled his back, her face drawn with worry.

"It's only for a week, right?"

'Absolutely. Like I said, all you have to do is make sure he takes a regular intake of the potion and it will work perfectly."

"Where are you going to get any Amortentia? It takes months to make, and if you brew it wrong…"

"I know, I know, he'll die. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. All you need to do is be the object of Scorpius' affections."

"I can do that," Rose assured him. "But you still owe me."

"Of course, Rosy…Rose."

"Now is being a pawn in one of your little schemes all you wanted from me? Or is there anything else I can do for you?" Her words were harsh with sarcasm, but there was warmth behind them.

"Now that you mention it, there is one thing."

James leaned over and plucked a few strand of hair from Rose's head, making her cry out in pain and shock. The sound made several people in the common room look over, but James didn't mind.

"What was that for?" she asked, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

"The potion, of course. Thanks for all your help, cuz." James tucked the strands of hair into his pocket.

"Anytime. You know, within reason."

Rose turned back to her books, and James took the hint, turning to walk away. As an afterthought, he turned back to tell Rose that he'd slip the potion to Scorpius tomorrow, and caught her grinning to herself from ear to ear. _She likes this plan_ he realised with a start, turning to walk away, _She likes the thought of Scorpius worshipping her_. Scorpius could be considered attractive, mused James, in the stereotypical Chaser way, with broad shoulders and hair too light for his tanned skin. Oddly enough, he'd never considered the idea of Rose dating; she was too sharp, too focused and clever to get involved with boys, especially ones like Scorpius Malfoy. However, he supposed, Rose was a girl, and it wouldn't be too long before she would be slavishly admired by an acceptably good-looking boy. He couldn't blame her for being rather excited.

Fred appeared from near the staircase, as if from nowhere. "Thank god you're here. I was just trapped with Teddy and Victoire. They promised we'd all do our charms homework together, but they just ended up snogging the entire time. I probably should have guessed, huh?"

"Never agree to be alone with Teddy and Vick. You're just asking for trouble."

"Well, now I know. Did you talk to Rose yet?"

"Absolutely, she's completely on board."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh yes. You know Rosy-Pose, always happy to help. Besides, what she's living the fifteen-year old girl's dream: to be adored for no particular reason. Especially by a fifteen year-old boy."

Fred laughed outright. "Please, like that guy could ever be good enough for our Rose."

"Well, as of tomorrow, he'll be head over heels for her. Speaking of which, when Teddy has detached himself from our cousin, I need you to find him and inform him of our plan. We'll meet at midnight down here, right under the staircase. Tonight, we're all going for a little trip down to the dungeon."

…..

James' dad's old invisibility cloak hadn't been designed to conceal three people, especially not three grown boys. As much as they bent their knees and slouched their shoulders, they never quite managed to conceal their feet, each step requiring them to rearrange the cloak over themselves. Just navigating out of the common room was difficult enough; making their way down to the dungeons seemed almost impossible. James, who was leading their procession, tripped over the first step on their way down the stairs, leading the three of them to lose their balance on the stairway. They only managed not to tumble down when Teddy grabbed onto banister just in time, holding Fred up with him.

"James," he whispered. "Take it easy."

"It wouldn't be so hard if Fred didn't keep stepping on my feet."

"Well, if your stupid feet weren't so big, they wouldn't keep getting in my way."

"Both of you, stop it," interrupted Teddy. "Just try and be quiet. There's no point in even wearing the cloak if you wake the whole castle. "

The trio crept down the stairway, their bodies colliding in an ungainly manner. Fred was clumsy at the best of times, but manoeuvring in such conditions was proving especially difficult. Finding their way down to the dungeons took a great deal of time, mainly due to their constant stopping to allow him to regain his balance. The final straw for James was when Fred dropped his wand with a loud clatter.

"Fred! _Shut up_!" roared James as quietly as he could.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Fred stooped and fumbled to find it, sending Teddy flailing backwards. James massaged his temples.

"Never again," he swore to himself. "Never again am I bringing either of you under this cloak."

"Well, if _someone…"_

"Shut _up_, Fred!"

When the two of them had righted themselves once more, they continued down to the dungeon in their own slow, messy way. When they reached the first floor landing, James froze, both Teddy and Fred ramming into him.

"Ow!"

"Bloody hell, James!"

James shushed them both emphatically. They three of them stood still and hunched over, listening intently. In the distance, the sound of humming was audible, as well as loud, disjointed footsteps.

"Filch," muttered James darkly.

Argus Filch was the caretaker of Hogwarts, and something of a legend at the school. He'd been there as long as anyone could remember; even some of the ghosts claimed he'd been there as long as they had. He was an old, stooped man with liver spots and a pronounced limp that he managed with a heavy cane, which he often threatened to beat students with. He was mainly known for the cruel looking taxidermy of a cat resting on the desk in his office. In fact, many people claimed they could hear him talk to it as they walked past. James could hear the sound of him limping towards them in the distance, and tried to turn his head to talk to his friends.

"Both of you, be quiet."

They backed into the stone of the wall, the cold seeping through their clothes until it bit their skin. Bowing over, the three of them did their best to conceal their feet beneath the cloak as they saw Filch hobble past, singing quietly to himself as he went. James held his breath as the caretaker stopped short and sniffed at the air, his narrow eyes glinting in the light of his lantern. He looked around the halls as though he could sense some sort of disturbance, his already wrinkled brow creased in concentration. Willing his friends to stay utterly still, James closed his eyes, highly aware of the sound of his own heart beating. After a tense moment, Filch shrugged and started to move along, resuming his odd, arrhythmic song. Slack with relief, James allowed himself to breathe out as Filch moved further and further out of sight, his lantern nothing more than a speck of light in the distance. The heavy silence was suddenly shattered by Fred's sneeze, which stopped Filch dead in his tracks. James felt his blood turn to ice.

"Students out of bed?" he heard Filch mutter happily. "I've got you now, filthy little children." The old man made his way back towards the landing where the three boys were frozen solid, wide eyed and terrified. James felt Teddy move beside him and tried frantically catch his eye. _Stay still, _he wanted to order, but he forced himself to remain completely silent. Teddy, however, continued to reach into his pocket and draw out his wand, trying to move as little as possible while Filch edged his way closer, peering behind each suit of armour and behind each door.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," taunted the caretaker gleefully. "I'll find you anyway."

Teddy gave James a slight wink and pointed his wand down the corridor. _Get Ready_, he mouthed and James gave him a slight nod. Fred still had his eyes shut and was hyperventilating slightly, but James didn't want to take the chance of nudging him in case he made any sound. Whatever spell Teddy muttered sent a wave of force shooting down the corridor, making a suit of armour rattle from way down the hall. Filch's head snapped to attention and a smile crept over his face.

"Got you now," he croaked, his aged body making its way down to the source of the sound. James counted under his breath.

"Three…two…one…_now_." James grabbed Fred's arm and took off down the stairway, Teddy following close behind. They treaded as light-footedly as possible, the cloak rising as they went to reveal three pairs of legs tearing down towards the Potions classroom. Although they heard Filch muttering behind them, they didn't stop until they reached the colossal black doors, deep down beneath the lake. James tore the cloak of angrily to reveal Fred's sheepish face, flushed from running.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Never again," said James firmly.

"I didn't mean to."

James sighed, folding the cloak over his arm. "It doesn't matter now anyway, does it?" He clapped Teddy on the shoulder affectionately. "Thanks Ted. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Fred looked at the floor. "Yeah, thanks Ted."

"Don't worry about it. Shall we get inside?" Teddy pushed the door open silently and slipped inside, holding it open for James. When Fred pushed the door open after him, James stopped him.

"What?" asked Fred, bemused.

"You can stand here and stay guard," James told him. "Just try not to make any noise. Don't even sneeze. Don't even _breathe_. You never know when teachers are hovering about." Fred opened his mouth to object, but James cut him off by throwing the cloak at him. "Here, take this. Give us a call if anyone comes, okay? And make sure you stay hidden."

James started to walk away, when he was stopped by a thunderous sound behind him. He jumped, spinning to see Fred, who'd let go of the handle of one of the enormous black doors, letting it slam shut.

"_Sorry_," he whispered loudly, but James shushed him, listening carefully. After a moment of stillness, James was positive no one had heard and he ushered Fred out the door, where he could stand watch.

"Hopeless," he muttered to himself, crossing over to the potions storeroom, where Teddy was already waiting, his lit wand lying on one of the heavily cluttered shelves.

"What was that noise?" he asked, his hand deep in a black glass jar filled with some sort of plant.

"Fred being an idiot. Never let me bring him anywhere ever again. I mean it."

"You always say that, and yet you always bring him."

"Yeah, yeah, it's a touching story. What are you doing anyway? Amortentia's a potion, not a plant."

Teddy held out a wrinkled brown leaf from the jar. "It's asphodel. It's insanely powerful, only used in the deadliest of poisons. I've never seen it in real life."

"God, this is like a playground for you isn't it? Can you stop playing with the poisons and start helping me look for some love potion?"

With a dramatic sigh, Teddy put down the jar and joined James, who was rummaging through the shelves. "Be careful. Zabini's very particular, you know. I once borrowed some griffin feathers for some extra potions work and he knew almost immediately. He was furious as well, and I'd only taken about a handful. Just make sure you remember where everything is, so we can put it all back later on."

James didn't really care about Professor Zabini or the state of his Potions Storeroom. He pulled out several jars, sniffed their contents and put them back in random orders, partly to annoy Teddy and partly from sheer curiosity.

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" asked Teddy exasperatedly.

"Yeah, yeah, Zabini, griffin feathers, blah blah blah." James lost interest in the shelves on the left hand side and moved along. "Just tell me when you find the potion, okay?"

After a few moments of silence, Teddy's triumphant voice rang out. "Bingo!"

"You found it?"

"No, I'm playing a literal game of bingo. Of course I found it!" James walked over to where Teddy stood upon a tall chair he'd dragged in from the classroom. "Look how perfect they are! These are incredibly difficult to make, you know. If you make even the smallest mistake…"

"Yes, yes, potions are marvellous. Can you get down now?" interrupted James impatiently and Teddy obeyed. Hoisting himself onto the chair, James stared at four small cauldrons resting on the topmost shelf, each filled with different coloured liquids. One was dark and gelatinous, another a rich, beautiful gold, the third the colour of mother-of-pearl and the final one was a cheery sunshine yellow.

"Do you know which one it is?" asked Teddy distractedly, having returned to searching through jars of ingredients.

"Yes of course I do." James waved his friend away before realising that he had completely forgotten the defining features of each of the potions. After a moment of consideration, he poured the gold liquid into the vial he'd brought along with him. As he stepped down, Teddy held out his hand.

"What?" asked James.

"Give me the bottle."

As he handed it over, Teddy unstoppered the bottle and inhaled. Shaking his head, he handed it back to James.

"Thank goodness I was here. This isn't Amortentia."

"Isn't it?"

"The gold one is liquid luck, you idiot. Giving it to Malfoy wouldn't have given you quite the result you wanted. Although I'm sure he wouldn't complain."

"You can tell by sniffing it?" asked James, taking back the vial and clambering back onto the chair.

"Of course. Amortentia smells like what appeals to you the most, don't you remember? Were you even listening in potions last year?"

"Why would I do that when I have you to listen for me?" He poured the liquid back into the cauldron, watching the hypnotic golden swirls. "So, what does the love potion smell like to you? Potions ingredients? The Quidditch pitch? Sunshine and lollipops?"

"Victoire," replied Teddy without hesitation. "Like vanilla perfume and apple-scented shampoo."

James made a retching noise, but Teddy only smiled, as though he'd heard a joke only he understood. The bottle hovered over the cauldrons, as he hesitated between mother-of-pearl and sunshine yellow.

"It's the third one," called Teddy, from where he was examining a collection of bottled venoms.

"I know that."

The two of them set about straightening the room, Teddy making absolutely sure everything was in its proper place. James waited, tapping his foot as he watched Teddy work, lining up all of the jars and bottles in perfect order.

"We have to go, Ted. We need to be back in the common room soon, or Filch will be making his rounds. I'm sure Zabini won't notice if one jar isn't in the exact place it's meant to be."

"Just one second." Teddy moved one jar of bay leaves half an inch to the left and stepped back to examine his handiwork. "Perfect."

"Yeah, you're the Michelangelo of the Potions Cupboard. Come on, let's go, before Fred has an nervous breakdown."

Before he made it out the door, Teddy grabbed his friend's shoulder, spinning him around so they were face to face.

"What do you smell?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"When you sniff the Amortentia. What do you smell?"

James smirked at the question. "Does it matter?"

"No, I'm just curious. Tell me."

With a roll of his eyes, James uncorked the vial and took a deep breath. Several pleasant smells intermingled with each other but only one of them stood out to him.

"Bacon," he answered. Teddy's eyebrows rose.

"Bacon?"

"That's right."

"So, in the whole wide world, the thing that appeals to you the most is bacon?"

James shrugged. "I suppose so."

"That's…that's pretty sad, mate."

After a pause, James corked the bottle once again and shoved it into the depths of his pocket. He looked down, not wanting to face the sympathy of Teddy's gaze. "Whatever, Loverboy. Let's get going."

They found Fred, his face blanched and his body trembling, every nerve of his body on high alert. When he saw them, he shook himself in an effort to appear casual, offering them a sick-looking smile.

"Oh, H-hey guys," he stammered. "What took you so long?"

"Aww," cooed James. "Was widdle Fweedie scared?"

"Shut up James," grumbled Fred. "Did you at least get the potion?"

James shook the vial. "Plenty of it. Malfoy won't know what hit him."

"How long does it last?"

James turned to Teddy, who, not very surprisingly, knew the answer. "It should last about twenty-four hours at a time, but it wears off very slowly. As low as Rose slips it to him daily, it should be fine."

"And we step back and watch him crush the Goyle girl once and for all." James had expected cheers of encouragement from his friends, but was instead greeted only with silence. He realised they were so caught up in the theft, they'd all but forgotten why they were stealing the potion in the first place.

"James, are you sure…" began Teddy.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just a prank, okay?" Somehow, the uncertainty of his friends was starting to rub off on him. He checked himself angrily. Elina Goyle was just some silly little fifth year who needed to be reigned back into place. Just one more person in the list of fools who needed to be taught what happened when you messed with James Potter. Drawing on the memory of what she'd said to him and the hatred he had for her, he felt his confidence returning. "Now the hardest part's over, anyway. The rest of it will be a breeze."

"If you say so," said Teddy hesitantly, but Fred seemed perfectly content.

"And thank heavens for that. Now that we've got the potion and all that, can we get going? I hate the dungeons at night, I always think some troll or something will jump out and kill us all. Why they hell did your dad tell us that story?"

"Get under the cloak. And Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"If you sneeze again, I'll kill you. Slowly and painfully."

"Duly noted."

…..

As much as he tossed and turned, James' excitement was keeping him awake and alert. He had trouble looking away from the small bottle that rested on his nightstand, gleaming in the moonlight. He couldn't shake the look Teddy had given him when he'd told him what he smelled in the potion: a look of complete pity. Reaching out to grab the vial, he inhaled deeply: he could smell an overpowering scent of bacon, that much was true, but there were other smells woven in as well. One smell was similar to his broomstick, a faint oaken smell, although he couldn't be sure. There was another scent lurking as well, a faintly sweet smell he couldn't seem to place. In fact, he couldn't remember ever having smelled it before.

Suddenly, James remembered the final step in preparing the potion. Bounding upright, he made his way over to where his robes were draped over his trunk and plucked Rose's hair from the pocket. Careful not to drop a single hair, he dropped the strands into the potion and waited for something to happen. He'd expected some burst of sound or sudden change in colour; instead, the hairs simply settled at the bottom of the vial, drifting through the pearly liquid. Disappointed, James bent his head to sniff it, a smile creeping over his face at the new scent. Instead of the odd mixture of bacon and broomstick, the draught smelt strongly of a scent he associated with Rose: lavender soap and mint. With a soft snicker, he placed the potion back beside his bed and began to pace with anticipation. Tomorrow could not come quickly enough.

**Chapter 4- Rose Weasley**

Rose was so nervous, even the thought of food made her feel queasy. The plate before her was heavily laden with eggs, bacon and toast, but she hadn't even attempted to take a bite. Even Dom, who was sitting opposite her, noticed her distressed state.

"You aren't eating?" she asked, more curious than concerned.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry." Rose moved her food around the plate, her gaze fixed firmly on the Slytherin table. Dom gave her a sympathetic look.

"Dieting?" she asked, her voice falsely understanding.

"What? No, I'm just not hungry."

"Okay, okay." Dom leaned across the table, dropping her voice to a stage whisper. "It's probably a good idea. You've been looking a little chubby lately."

"Thanks, Dom," answered Rose dryly. "Always looking out for me."

Settling back down, Dom gave her a gratified smile. "What else is family for, right?"

With that, she turned to the boy next to her, some fourth year whose name she didn't know, and started up a conversation. The boy looked stunned; Dominique looked almost exactly like her older sister Victoire, with hair the colour of wheat and a face like a china doll. The poor third-year struggled to form words correctly as Dom flirted shamelessly, batting her eyelashes and giggling musically. On any other day, Rose would have enjoyed watching Dom render a boy to a stuttering mess with only a few words, but today was no ordinary day. Today was the day that Scorpius Malfoy fell in love with her.

She couldn't seem to look away from him, as obvious as she knew she was being. In all truth, she'd never thought much about Scorpius in the past. He was only in a couple of her classes, moderately intelligent and kind enough, although she couldn't remember them ever actually speaking. If there was one thing she had noticed though, it was that Scorpius was exceptionally good looking. Tall and muscular, with white blond hair and golden skin, he was arguably one of the most skilled Chasers in Slytherin history, responsible for their latest winning streak on the field. Her stomach bubbled with anticipation as she watched him laugh and sling his arm over his girlfriend, who sat beside him. His handsome face was pulled in an easy grin and Rose couldn't help but imagine him smiling at her. Her trance was cut short by the feeling of a hand tapping on the back of her shoulder. She turned to see James, who looked exhausted but excited, his black hair mussed and dark circles under his gleaming emerald eyes. He knelt beside her chair and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Oh, you'll have fun, I guarantee it. It's only harmless."

"I know. Now hurry up, before I change my mind."

James straightened himself, nodding his greeting at Dom and the third year she was flirting with. "Hey Domi. Hey Tim."

"Oh, this isn't Tim, this is…."

"I don't care. See you later Rosie." He ruffled her hair and she slapped him away. "Try not to enjoy yourself too much."

Dom turned away from the boy, who trailed off in the middle of his sentence, understanding he'd lost her interest. "What's he talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just…class."

After a moment, Dom shook her head condescendingly. "I never understand you, Rose."

Rose didn't bother answering, her eyes fixed on James, who was making his way towards the Slytherin table, his hands buried in his pockets. He made his way towards Scorpius, who was still completely focused on Elina down the end of the Slytherin table. When James had almost reached the boy, he looked up at someone down the table from Rose, and gave a small, curt nod. Almost instantly, there was an audible clatter followed by shrieks and gasps punctuated the air. Turning, she saw that several of the floating candles that decorated the Great Hall had tumbled down and caught on one of the tapestries that adorned the walls. They corner of the fabric had caught flames, which were rapidly spreading across the drapery. She only saw Teddy because she was looking for him: he was seated at the end of the Gryffindor table, shoving his wand back into his pocket. His eyes met hers and he gave her a knowing smile. As the teachers raced to deal with the fire, Rose turned back to see that both Scorpius and Elina had bounded to their feet, backing away from the flames. She watched James slink by and slip something into the pumpkin juice that Scorpius had been drinking only moments before. Looking up, he caught Rose's gaze and shot her a sly wink before making his way back to the table. As he walked past her, he didn't even bother to look at her, simply walking with his eyes fixed straight ahead.

The Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, was an elderly woman who was just as tough and energetic as she must have been in her youth. She pushed several students out of her way as she strode towards the fire, withdrew her wand and pointed it at the wall-hanging. A jet of water shot forth and put the fire out with a sizzle, leaving a scorch mark in the corner. With a second wave of her wand, she restored that tapestry to its former appearance. She turned towards the Hall.

"Students!" she roared, her voice carrying over the screams without the use of magic. "Sit down!"

The entire hall obeyed, even the teachers slinking back down into their chairs. The Headmistress cleared her throat.

"Alright everyone, settle down. The situation is dealt with. Go back to your meal." Completely dignified, Professor McGonagall made her way back to her table. As she sat down, the chatter resumed, everyone recovering from the surprise of the moment. Rose felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched Scorpius sit back down, right next to the potion. Now that the moment had arrived, she felt unsure if she wanted to go through with the plan. As exciting as the whole idea seemed, and as much as she couldn't bear the thought of someone harming Lily, she couldn't help feeling oddly guilty. She watched Scorpius with mixed emotions. _Don't drink it_ she found herself wishing _Pour it out and go back to your girlfriend. _Even as she thought that, Scorpius reached out and took a sip of the juice, before returning to his food. _Thanks for listening, _she thought sarcastically, almost shaking as the expectation became almost unbearable. Fidgeting nervously, she wondered when the potion would kick in. As it turns out, she didn't need to wait long.

Rose watched the change slowly sweep over Scorpius' face. It slowly drained of emotion as he stared into the distance, before suddenly shining. A wide, almost insane smile spread over his face as he leaned back, his gaze sweeping the room. As Rose observed, Elina pulled at Scorpius' arm to get his attention and he pushed her off, not even looking at her. In a sudden movement, he spun to face his girlfriend, his voice slowly rising. Elina's face blanched clearly even from across the room. The chatter of the room died away once more as Scorpius' voice slowly got louder, despite Elina's desperate attempts to keep him silent. It wasn't long before Rose could hear him from the Gryffindor table: soon everyone was listening to the conversation.

"Scorpius, please," Rose heard Elina say, "be quiet. We can talk about this later, in private…"

"I don't want to talk about this later," said Scorpius forcefully, standing up. His eyes were unusually wide, with a strange madness glinting in them. "There's nothing left to talk about. We're over, Elina. I'm breaking up with you."

A low _ooh_ echoed about the room as the students lapped up the drama. Most of the teachers rolled their eyes and continued to eat; it was far too early in the morning for them to care about students' love lives. Just dealing with the fire had drained most of them of their energy. Rose ducked her head and forced herself to eat, despite the nausea growing in her stomach. Suddenly, she felt awkwardly out of place, as though she was somewhere she had no place being.

"Scorpius, please don't make a scene." As little as Rose wanted to hear the conversation, she couldn't block out Elina's desperate voice. "We'll talk about this later. You're tired, you're stressed, you don't know what you're saying. We'll figure this out."

"No, Elina. You don't understand. I'm in love with someone else." Rose began to slide her way down her seat, masking her face. She wished she'd thought better of coming down to breakfast that morning.

"You don't know what you're saying. You don't mean it…"

"Don't tell me what I mean. I'm telling you I don't want you anymore. I'm in love, okay? I'm in love with someone, and she is the most beautiful, extraordinary girl I've ever met. I don't want to be with you anymore. I mean it, Elina. I'm breaking up with you."

"Is this some sort of twisted joke? It isn't funny."

"Stop fighting this! Stop clinging to some absurd idea of us as a couple. We can't figure this out because I don't want to figure it out. Wrap your head around this: I don't want you. I want someone else."

The teachers were starting to get restless now, Rose could see, but all the other students in the hall were deadly silent, fascinated by the scene unfolding before them. Even though Rose refused to look directly at the couple, she could hear that Elina was trying hard not to cry, making an awful choking noise that was much worse than sobbing.

"Who?" she heard Elina ask softly, the word so low and thick with misery that it was like a knife piercing Rose's chest. She squeezed her eyes closed, knowing what was coming next and wishing she didn't have to be there to see it.

"Rose Weasley."

Every face in the Great Hall sought her out. Even those who had no idea who she was somehow found her in the crowd, following everyone else's gaze. Dom's mouth hung open in shock: in fact, this face was mimicked by many students in the Hall. Of all the names they had expected to hear uttered by Scorpius Malfoy in that moment, Rose Weasely's was the last of them.

Scorpius' gaze found her as well and she met his eyes for a second before she looked down again. His smile was absent, almost sleepy. "Rose Weasley is the love of my life," he said, his eyes fixed in place. "I'm sorry Elina, but she's the one I was meant to be with."

Professor McGonagall had clearly had enough. Standing up, she cleared her throat. "Sit down, Mr Malfoy. Please save your declarations of undying love for some other, more appropriate time."

'Professor, please, you don't understand…"

"_Sit down_ Mr Malfoy." The sharp tone of her voice finally made Scorpius falter, and he sunk back into his chair. His gaze never left Rose's face, even when Elina stood up and exited the Great Halls. People cooed and catcalled after her, whistling as she slipped outside, obviously holding back tears. No one went after her.

After a moment of silence, Rose stood up and walked towards the door, her chin up. She didn't know why she was doing it: she was probably the last person Elina wanted to talk to right now. More wolf-whistles were only prevented by Professor McGonagall's yell for silence, which rang out audibly, even as Rose slammed the door behind her. Taking off running, she called after Elina, who she just saw turn the corner. Hearing Rose's yell, the distraught girl turned back, her face changing from sadness to fury, although tears still flowed down her face steadily.

"You," she snarled, her voice dark. "Go away."

"I never meant for it to be like this."

"Please, just stop talking. Leave me alone." Rose could see her getting more and more agitated, but she continued on regardless.

"I didn't want you to be humiliated like that, or hurt."

"Shut up, Weasley. Just shut up."

"I didn't…"

With a low growl, Elina reached forwards and grabbed Rose's shoulder, pushing her back into the wall. She wasn't crying anymore; she was practically spitting with rage.

"Who the hell do you think you are? What did you say to him?"

Rose squirmed in her grasp, her breath coming out in short, sharp gasps. "Let go," she panted as Elina drew her wand. Brandishing it at Rose, she probably would have done some serious damage had Scorpius not leapt out from the Great Hall and pushed her off. With a cry, Elina fell back, leaving Rose rubbing the point on her collarbone that was throbbing with pain.

If she'd thought Scorpius looked unstable before, he now appeared completely unhinged. His white-blond hair was sticking up and his grey eyes were reflecting with a deranged light.

"_You will not hurt her,"_ he roared, raising his wand over the prone body of the girl he used to care about so much. Reacting instinctively, Rose reached out and grabbed Scorpius' arm, leaving him frozen at her touch.

"Don't Scorpius," she pleaded. "Please."

He softened visibly, letting his arm fall by his side. Gazing deeply into her eyes, he smiled peacefully.

"As you wish." He turned to Elina, his face harsh once more. "Get out of here. I can't even look at you."

Feeling guilty, Rose stretched out her hand to help Elina up, but the furious girl smacked her hand out of the way. Scorpius reared protectively, but Elina simply pulled herself up and stared at Rose. Her rich blue eyes were completely empty, almost dead.

"You deserve each other," she whispered, tears glinting in the light. Her exit was poised and graceful, but Rose couldn't shake the image of the hollow look of her eyes. She was watching Elina go when Scorpius gently tugged her towards him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said softly. "I didn't mean to scare her that much. I only wanted to stop her from hurting you."

"You shouldn't have yelled at her like that."

"I know. It wasn't fair. It's not her fault. She's just…not you."

Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes, but Scorpius didn't seem to notice, looking at her earnestly. "I meant what I said you know. I do love you."

"Um…thank you," answered Rose awkwardly.

She moved to walk away, but Scorpius stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "Please don't be freaked out. You could love me too, you know. If you just let me try."

"Oh, I don't think…"

"I know. You're so far out of my league and I don't deserve you. You're beautiful and clever and charming and sweet, while I'm just some guy you hardly know. But please. Let me just try and show you how much you mean to me. Please?"

Rose didn't know what do stay. "I don't understand what you want."

"Go out with me tonight. Please. I don't think I can live with myself if you don't."

She snorted. "Scorpius, listen…" It wasn't part of the deal, and it was certainly a bad idea. The last thing she needed was for it to get out that she was now dating Scorpius the day he broke up with his girlfriend: she didn't want the hatred of the rest of the school on her shoulders. However, Scorpius wasn't prepared to take no for an answer.

"Go out with me."

'I don't…"

"Go out with me."

"Scorpius!"

"I'll keep asking until you say yes. Go out with me."

"Okay, fine!"

Scorpius' face lit up. "Really?"

"Why not?"

He punched the air, delighted. Bouncing with excitement, he tried to calm himself down. "Okay. I'll meet you by the lake at the beginning of dinner."

"By the lake?" Her voice trembled a little.

"Just trust me."

He moved in as though to kiss her, but she moved away just in time. He blushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have presumed."

"Don't worry about it." Rose backed slowly away, unsure how to leave it with him. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Absolutely." He turned and walked away, practically skipping with joy as he made his way down the stairs. After watching him leave for a moment, Rose shook her head and walked away, still rubbing the area where Elina grabbed her.

"Senora Gorda," she said when she reached the Fat Lady, who was playing a game of cards with herself, yet sighed as though Rose had interrupted a very important event. She was only there for a moment before James came bursting in, Fred by his side. He took a sweeping glance of the common room.

"Don't worry. Everyone's at breakfast, talking about the breakup."

"It was glorious, wasn't it?" said James happily, flopping back on the couch. "So cutting. So dramatic. It couldn't have been better if I'd scripted it."

Fred settled next to Rose. "How about you Rosie? How are you holding up?"

Rose reached up and touched the bruise forming in the shape of Elina's handprint. "She deserved what she got."

"Did she now?" asked James, surprised. "What did she do? Attack you or something?"

When Elina didn't answer, he laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Did she hurt you?" asked Fred, shocked.

"Well, she tried to."

"I think you got her back, well enough."

"Exactly," supplemented James. "No one messes with the Potters. Or the Weasleys."

Rose hesitated for a moment before adding another scrap of information. "Scorpius asked me out for tonight."

"You didn't see that coming? He'd take a bullet for you, he just dumped his girlfriend for you and yet you're surprised that he asked you on a simple date?"

"I thought he'd just…"

"Worship you from afar?"

"Well…yes."

"You said yes didn't you?"

'Of course she didn't," interjected Fred.

"Actually I did."

James burst into laughter. "Of course you did. Swept off your feet already, are you?"

"No! He just kept asking and asking. What was I supposed to say?"

"'No' seems like it might have been a good option," grumbled Fred, making Rose smile.

"Easy there, Killer. You don't need to be so protective all the time."

James got to his feet and stretched. "Well, I've got to get my things ready for today." Before he left, he slung his long legs over the arm of Rose's chair so they were almost nose to nose. "Remember Rosy-Posy. It's not real."

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that," she said in exasperation. He'd called her the name since she was born, but he always made it sound more mocking than affectionate.

"Well, we all say things we don't mean." He pulled a vial from his pocket: it was small and almost full with a beautiful pearly white potion. "Everything he says he feels for you, no matter how much he claims to love you, it all comes from this little bottle. It's a lie." He dropped it into her lap, where it vanished into the folds of her robes.

Rose felt herself fall a little from her high. "I know that," she said, annoyed.

"Just making sure," said James, chucking her under the chin before he swung away from her. She flinched away, with a grimace, but he only laughed.

Fred was considerably less mean. "Scorpius is a lucky guy, Rosie."

She gave him a small nudge, but he'd cheered her up. "That Elina girl really does need to learn a lesson on how to treat people."

"Well, then. You're doing a noble thing, aren't you? Now go get ready for class. The last thing you need is to be late."

With a sigh, Rose forced herself to get up and face the day.

…..

When evening finally fell, Rose couldn't have been more relieved. Each and every student in her year seemed to have formed an almost instant hatred of her. Cruel whispers seemed to echo everywhere she went, cold shoulders pushing her over as she walked. Several fifth-year Slytherins seemed to have taken it upon themselves to make her life a misery: stealing her things whenever possible and knocking her over in the Halls. Even some of her teachers seemed mad at her: Professor Finnigan ignored every attempt she made to speak and Professor Dorford of Muggle Studies told her he'd "misplaced" her essay, so she had to rewrite the whole thing. She'd even skipped lunch, not wanting to feel every eye on her and hoping to avoid both Elina and Scorpius. When time came for dinner, she considered standing Scorpius up, but knowing he'd only come after her, she decided to go down there. Not bothering to change out of her robes, she snuck outside as most people made their way down to dinner, bracing herself for the brisk air. As she walked towards the Black Lake, she watched the rosy light of the sunset dance off the surface of the water, shimmering in the darkness. Wincing, she looked away: she couldn't stand looking at the lake, not even on such a beautiful day. She turned when she felt fingers brush against her spine, finding Scorpius' face shinning in the gleam of the orange sky.

"You came."

"Of course I did. I said I would, didn't I?"

Scorpius watched her, his whole face glowing with happiness. "I know. I just can't believe you're really here." He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Looking so beautiful. I haven't thought of anything else all day."

"Neither have I," said Rose truthfully. "Mainly because no one's let me forget it."

"That doesn't matter. They can't reach us out here." He reached to take her hand and after a moment of hesitation, she let him. "Come with me."

"Please tell me we aren't going in the Lake," she said, trying to be flippant but sounding worried despite herself.

"Don't worry. Just follow me."

He led her across the grounds, through the thick grass that was covered in gold and crimson leaves fallen from autumn, like a thick, luscious carpet beneath their feet. When Scorpius placed his hands over her eyes, she laughed and tried to pull away, but he held firm.

"Where are we going?"

"Wait and see."

After a few moments, they stopped walking, Rose still lost in darkness.

"Are you ready?" asked Scorpius lightly.

"Yes!" When he pulled his hands away, Rose let out a gasp, her eyes wide. Stretched before her on the rug of fallen leaved lay a picnic blanket sewn with red and gold thread with a lion's face roaring upon it. Several throw pillows lay scattered over the ground, with a heavy basket laden with food in the centre. Dozens of roses, red, pink, yellow and white, were strewn over the blanket, each one plump and beautiful. Surrounding the picnic hovered several unlit candles, dangling in the air.

"You did all this?" she asked, reaching out to touch the blanket. It was thick and soft beneath her fingers.

"For you," he smiled beatifically. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." She sat down on the rug and looked inside the picnic basket. "Eclairs? Meat pies? Corned beef sandwiches?" She looked up at him in bewilderment. "How did you know all my favourite foods?"

"I guessed?"

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "No you didn't."

With a dramatic sigh, he sat down next to her. "No, you're right, I didn't. Too smart for me. I asked your little brother what you liked."

"Hugo?"

"Unless you have any other little brothers lurking about the school grounds."

"What else did he tell you about me?"

"Oh, plenty." He winked at her. "But I think I'll keep that to myself."

"Oh I see. A mystery man, are you?"

"Actually the real mystery of our school appears to be you, Miss Weasley. As much as I ask around about you, no one seems to know anything concrete."

"Well, everyone hates me now. I assume they've just been telling you I'm a home-wrecker and stuff like that?"

"No, no one brought that up. No one would dare, around me." His grin seemed to show too much of his teeth in a way that seemed rather threatening. "They all just told me things I already knew."

Rose's interest was piqued. "Oh really? Such as…"

"Oh, you know. You're brilliant, top of every class, you were a Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team for two years, your parents are Ronald and Hermione Weasley, you're the prettiest girl in school…"

Rose scoffed. "And who said that?"

"Well, I did. But they were all thinking it, they were just too shy to say so."

Embarrassed, Rose looked down at the floor, having no idea how to respond. Scorpius met her eyes.

"Are you alright?" He looked stricken for a moment. "Is there something wrong with the picnic? We could go somewhere else, if you want."

"No, no, everything is perfect." She focused on unpacking the picnic. "I really can't thank you enough. You put so much effort into this."

"Well, you're worth it."

To avoid answering, she filled her mouth with a bite of pie, giving Scorpius a thumbs up through her mouthful of meat and pastry.

….

They sat for hours and talked, until the sun had set and the moon had begun to rise in the sky. The candles around the blanket were lit with a flick of Scorpius' wand, and they glinted golden against the ink black sky. They talked about school, about teachers they loved and hated, about their parents and their friends, steering well clear of the topic of Elina, about homework and spells and the stress of their upcoming OWLS. When the food was long gone and they were sharing a flagon of Butterbeer, Rose suddenly remembered the vial in her pocket.

"Look at the moon," she said desperately, unable to think of anything better to say. When Scorpius glanced up, she moved swiftly, tipping a few drops of the potion into the flagon, before slipping it back in place. Scorpius was still entranced by the sight of the moon.

"It's beautiful," he commented, transfixed. "Don't you think?"

"Wha- Oh yes. Beautiful," answered Rose distractedly. She stood up hurriedly, brushing the crumbs off her clothes. "We should probably get going. We don't want to be caught out after dark."

"I wish we could stay here forever."

"Hmm. Yes, me too. Do you want to finish the Butterbeer?"

"No, it's alright. You can have it."

Rose adopted her most mournful face, the one she used when she wanted something. "Please finish it? For me?"

"Anything for you." Scorpius downed the rest of the flagon, as Rose watched carefully. It only took a few moments to work: his eyes glittered like fire in the candlelight and his face relaxed in a mask of tranquillity. He turned to Rose, radiant.

"Do we really have to go?"

Rose pulled her robes around her tightly, warding off the chill. "I'm afraid so. We don't want to be locked out or anything."

Scorpius stood up beside her, and with a wave of his wand, he cleared up the picnic area without a trace. All that remained behind was a single white rose, which he handed to her.

"Thank you," she said self-consciously.

"I had a great time tonight."

"Yeah. So did I." Rose was surprised to find that she was telling the truth. Scorpius was charming when he wasn't showering her with compliments: he was funny and clever and they were alike in many ways. She just couldn't bear the way he was looking at her at that moment, as though she held the key to his happiness.

"Would you…be open to doing this again?" asked Scorpius, his eyes large and hopeful. Rose found herself unable to say no. And, strangely enough, she didn't want to say no.

"Why not?" she said again with a small smile. Looking relieved and thrilled, Scorpius leaned in to kiss her, but she stepped away before he could. The look on his face was so sad that she couldn't help herself from leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you for tonight, Scorpius," she said gently. With an odd mixture of power and guilt leaden in her chest, she walked away, leaving Scorpius frozen where she'd left him, with his hand pressed to the placed she'd kissed him.

**Chapter 5- Elina Goyle**

Of all the horrible days Elina had faced in her life, this one had been one of the worst. The pitying looks and sympathetic words everyone offered up did nothing but make her feel pathetic and small. Most of her friends were avoiding her, worried they'd say the wrong thing and Scorpius wouldn't even look at her, let alone talk to her. She wasn't sure she wanted him to anymore: every time she looked at him, all she could see was his face contorted in rage and hatred as he fixed his wand on her. Admittedly, she had taken it too far by assaulting Rose: it had made her appear undignified at the least, quite possibly deranged. But she couldn't help it. After the burning humiliation in the Great Hall, the Weasley girl had the audacity to follow after her with big concerned eyes and a sickly sweet gaze. She'd just needed to somehow wipe that look off her face.

It seemed only fitting that such a horrible day would end in an undeserved detention. Elina hauled herself down to Professor Jones' classroom, defeated by the day. After a momentary pause, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a high falsetto voice from inside that clearly didn't belong to Professor Jones. Hesitating from a second, Elina shrugged and strode inside.

"I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you here today," came the last voice Elina wanted to hear. As she entered the classroom, she saw James Potter's form lounged on his chair, his feet propped up on the desk. He was facing away from her, looking towards the front of the empty room. Saying nothing, she settled down in a chair right near the door, as far away as she could get from the arrogant boy she couldn't bring herself to face. When she didn't answer him, James turned his head lazily to see who it was. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could see the smile that spread over his face.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Righteous down here with us lowly mortals in detention." Her lack of reply prompted him to turn his chair completely around. He waited a beat before speaking again. "Ignoring me, are you? That's mature."

"Where's Professor Jones?" asked Elina coldly.

"She's organising our detention. It seems it's just you and me tonight. Aren't you thrilled? Think of all the fun we'll have together."

Elina gave up trying to freeze him out. "Please, not today. I'm just…I'm having a terrible day and I can't deal with you right now as well."

James adopted a mock thoughtful face. "Oh really? And why is that? It couldn't be because your boyfriend dumped you today could it?"

Elina forced herself to remain quiet in an effort to salvage the rest of her dignity, but James continued determinedly. "You know, I've always been a fan of public dumpings, but that has to have been one of the most spectacular I've ever seen. With the whole school as an audience as well! That was quite harsh, don't you think?"

James waited for a reaction, but Elina was determined not to give him the satisfaction. He rose from his chair and approached her, choosing a seat right next to her.

"That can't have been fun. And having him leave you for another girl as well! I mean, I did not see that coming. Did you see that coming?"

"Potter…" started Elina warningly, through gritted teeth. _Don't cry in front of him, don't cry in front of him, don't cry in front of him…_

"Oh, we're on second name terms, are we?" asked James gleefully. "Is that the level our relationship has progressed to, _Goyle_?"

"Please, just don't."

"Well, you see, I would love to take it easy on you. But I'm a silly little boy who enjoys playing little games with people and I can't step outside of character, can I?"

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"How could I not? Selfish young children like me, well, we love to torture and mess with people. This is just serving it up on a platter. Hmm, if only I could remember who said that to me…"

James' goading was cut short by the sound of the door slamming shut behind them. They turned to see that Professor Jones had entered, her face pinched under her mop of black hair.

"Mr Potter. Miss Goyle," she said coolly. James reclined back on his seat, leaning on the back legs of his chair.

"Hello professor. You're looking ravishing this evening."

Professor Jones disregarded his comment, walking over to her desk and sitting down, picking up a stack of parchment and beginning to sort through it without even looking at the students. She addressed them dryly.

"The Groundskeeper has requested that you help feed the animals. You know the drill, Potter."

"I most certainly do."

"And you, Miss Goyle. It is my understanding that this is your first ever detention. I hope I never find you harassing first years again. I'll have you know that young Lorcan was highly shaken."

James appeared simply delighted. "Harassing first years? Why is this the first I've heard of this?"

"I wasn't…" started Elina despairingly, but she was broken off by Professor Jones.

"I don't want to hear it. Now go."

Elina raised her hand nervously and Professor Jones made a _tsk _sound. "What is it, Miss Goyle?"

"What's my detention?"

"Weren't you listening? Go down the Grounds and feed the animals. Or is that too difficult a task for you to comprehend?"

"Isn't there anything else I could do?"

"Frankly, I'm getting quite tired of you, Miss Goyle. When I tell you what to do, you do as I say, understood?"

"Yes Professor," muttered Elina. She walked briskly out the door, James following closely behind her.

"Don't forget to report to the Groundskeeper," the teacher called after them as the door closed. As they made their way down to the front door, James continued to taunt Elina.

"So, being the sadistic little buggar that I am, I'm curious. Did he dump you in public on purpose, or could he just not stand to be around you for one more second? I can't say I'm surprised. In fact, I'm impressed he stuck it out as long as he did." James' tone had slowly changed from light and mocking to sharp and cruel. Elina managed to keep her face steady although she could feel tears burning in her eyes. It was as though James had access to the hideous things that had been spinning through her mind all day and was determined to cut her to pieces. "Rose Weasley, huh? She's my cousin you know. Beautiful, isn't she? And so very clever, top in almost every subject. She's a Chaser as well. At least, she was, before Abigail Bell got the slot this year. But they'll have that connection, don't you think? They can talk about Quidditch and Chasers and the perks of being good-looking. Ah, the beauty of young love."

Each word was like a blow but Elina kept walking, which upset James more than anything he could have said. He brooded as they opened the front door of the castle.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," he commented. "Where's the feisty little brat from the other day? Crushed under the weight of your own mediocrity?" There was a palpable pause. "Oh, you're no fun."

The grounds were drench in darkness and the Black Lake gleamed under the light of the moon. She felt James tense up beside her and was thankful he'd stopped talking; sobs were bubbling near the surface as it was.

"What's that?" asked James, pointing a little way into the distance. She turned to see a circle of floating candles a little while from the lake, a glinting golden halo in the blackness. In the glittering light, two people were talking and laughing, their faces lit by the fire that surrounding them. She couldn't see their faces, but she could see their hair: the girl had long chestnut locks and the boy had a shaggy white blond mop atop his head. Her suspicions were confirmed when James led out an elated bark of laughter.

"Well, would you look at that? We are the lucky audience to Rose and Scorpius' first date! Do you think it's their first date? Maybe it's been going on for months and you never knew. I can't imagine…"

James' voice faded as Elina lost interest, unable to take her gaze of the couple in the distance. She felt as though someone had delivered a swift kick to her stomach and for a moment, she honestly thought she would throw up. Tears started to well in her eyes, but she forced them back. _You will not cry, _Elina told herself firmly, digging her fingernails into her palm. _Not here. Not now._

She broke her gaze away from the boy she loved and the girl she hated and marched towards the Groundskeeper's hut. It was only small, but very tall, easily six times the height of a grown man. Paddocks filled with magical creatures spilled out across the ground, but there was a distinct path leading to the doorway of the hut. James was obviously disappointed by the lack of emotion demonstrated by Elina, which gave her one ray of happiness to cling onto.

"Have you ever considered that maybe the reason you are so undesirable is because of your tendency to throw people into walls? I mean, charming as I'm sure people must find it, I imagine it must get wearisome after a while. And, the sass as well…"

"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!" Elina roared, her voice choked with supressed tears. James took a step back, stunned by the force of her words. "I get it, okay? You're having the time of your life, but if you must thrive off my unhappiness, can't you at least do it quietly?"

"Wouldn't that take all the fun out of it?"

Elina glowered at him. "There is _nothing_ you can do to make this day worse for me. You've won, okay? I'm miserable. Isn't that enough for you? At least for one day?"

When James said nothing, Elina continued on her way, feeling oddly proud of herself for shutting him up. She reached the tall wooden doorway and rapped purposefully on the door, which opened almost instantly to reveal the Groundskeeper. She'd never seen him this close up; he was undoubtedly as enormous as people claimed. He stood sixteen feet tall, with brown-green eyes and greasy, straw-like brown hair, his skin an ugly yellowish coloured. With a low roar, he looked past Elina at James, who was leisurely making his way up the path.

"Jammy!" he cried out, fumbling out of the door to get to James, pushing Elina over as he went. He lifted James easily into the air and spun him around, his entire body clenched in one meaty fist.

"Grawp!" she heard James yell. "Put me down."

With a slow nod, the giant placed James down on the ground, going down on one knee to see him properly.

"Jammy," repeated Grawp happily.

"Hullo Grawp. Have you missed me?"Grawp let out a low moan and nodded emphatically. "I missed you too, old buddy."

"I take it you two know each other," commented Elina, brushing herself off.

"Oh, Grawpy and I go way back. My dad and his brother are close friends." Grawp let out a small roar. "Oh, excuse me, _half_-brother. Grawp, this is Elina."

"Lina," growled Grawp. "Lina is Jammy's friend?"

James patted Grawp affectionately on the knee. "Let's not get into that. Now be honest, Grawp. Have you been forgetting to feed the animals again?" Grawp attempted to look bashful, but the result was terrifying. 'You have, haven't you?" James tutted disapprovingly. "Well, I suppose that's what we're here for."

Grawp gave James a pat on the head that almost sent him flying and ambled back into his house. He re-emerged with two gigantic hands filled with bags, each handful of brown paper bags tied together with thick rope. Using the moonlight, Elina could just make out the labels that marked each of the bags, each one inscribed with the name of an animal.

"Jammy," he said tenderly before turning on his heel and tottered back into his house.

"Remember to tell Jones we were here Grawp!" James called after him before the door closed. There was no reply, but James nodded confidently.

"He heard," he told Elina. He grabbed one of the ropes and slung in over his shoulder, the dozen or so bags attached to it colliding with his body. With a grunt, he gestured for her to do the same.

"You go left and I'll go right, yeah?" he suggested as she struggled to heave the length of the rope over herself. The weight of the bags dragged her down, making even straightening herself an effort.

"What do you mean? Are we splitting up?"

"I thought you'd be rejoicing. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"With all my heart."

"Well you see? Wishes do come true." James started to walk away, forcing Elina to call after him.

"I don't know what to do."

James' grin was visible even in the dim moonlight. "Hasn't anyone taught you manners, princess? Say please when you want something."

Elina bit back her pride. "Fine. _Please_ then. Do I get inside the paddock or just throw the food in from the fence?"

"You can climb in the paddock if you want. But don't blame me when they uncover your mangled remains tomorrow."

Elina let out a huff and walked out down the path, staggering a little under the weight. It took her a little while to find an efficient system, but she soon discovered that each of the enclosures that stretched from Grawp's hut to the Forbidden Forest were clearly labelled with the breed of animal. As the moon rose higher in the sky and the bags became lighter, Elina grew more comfortable with the task, manoeuvring her way through the paddocks to find the breeds she needed. Over the next half-hour, she fed odd yellow leaves to the Kappas, rich brown mulch made from bloodroot to the Nifflers, dry biscuits to the Mooncalves, live mice to the Blast-Ended Skrewts, bloated white larvae to the Fire Crabs, a thick dark liquid that looked suspiciously like blood to the Shrakes and great bloody steaks to the school's three prized Hippogriffs: Featherwind, Talontail and Whitetooth. The final bag posed a problem as she read the label: she had no idea what a thestral was.

She was forced to pass by all of the paddocks, holding her wand light over the inscriptions in hope of stumbling across the elusive creature. The bag of its feed contained a vast amount of raw meat, so Elina assumed it would be a large, threatening creature. After being almost certain she'd checked every paddock, she considered giving up and returning to the castle. In a stunning example of dramatic irony, that was the moment that her search proved fruitful; the final paddock had a small sign dangling over the fence, inscribed with the words: _Beware of Thestrals. They bite._ Glancing up at the creatures, she registered a small jolt of surprise. She'd seen these creatures before, on the first and last school days of each year, lugging the carriages up to the castle gates. They were magnificent and terrifying, skeletal horses with thin, sharp faces and wings as leathery as those of a bat. Only about six of them resided in the large paddock and they all stood to attention as she arrived, their blank, white eyes resting on her hungrily. She hoped it was the meat that enticed them, and not her.

As Elina warily withdrew a hunk of dead animal, which was still oozing blood, she heard a sound behind her. Startled, she twisted to find James watching her, his face unusually serious.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I'm in charge of feeding the thestrals. See?" She held up the paper bag, which was leaking small puddles of blood.

"I know." James' voice sounded strange too, too low and solemn for her comfort. "I just thought you wouldn't be able to find them."

"Well, thanks for your concern," she answered derisively. "It did take me a little while to track them down, but they're pretty hard to miss. I'm not that useless."

Surprisingly, James didn't take the bait. He continued to stare at her as though she were the most extraordinary thing he'd ever seen.

"You can see them?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Of course. They aren't exactly small."

"I've never met another person who could see them." He watched her disbelievingly. "Describe them," he ordered.

"Um…you're acting a little crazy, you know. They're just big skeleton horses with black wings and white eyes. Happy?"

"You _can _see them." James' tone was almost reverential.

"I thought we'd cleared that up."

"You don't know much about thestrals, do you?"

Elina flared with indignation. "Does it matter? What are you going to do, feed me some absurd story that they only eat fifteen year old girls or something? I don't scare that easily."

She turned and began to throw bits of rotten meat to the thestrals, who reared in their eagerness to feed. They charged in on the food, throwing each other out of the way. She couldn't help laughing.

"Who did you see die?"

The question shocked Elina so much that she paused mid throw, a handful of meat still in her hand. The smallest thestral, who'd been pushed out of the others' way, trotted over and snatched it from her hand, its bone-coloured teeth grazing her fingers. She hardly even noticed.

"What did you say?" she asked slowly, positive that she'd misheard.

"Who was it? Someone must have died in front of you, or else you couldn't see them. Thestrals only appear to those who know death."

Elina searched James' face for any sign of joking and found none. He appeared deadly serious, but people like James Potter could joke about the most serious of issues. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

"Look it up if you don't believe me." Elina turned to throw more meat to the thestrals, but James followed her, pulling himself up on the fence.

"Don't sit there, they could eat you," she told him irritably. "Actually, on second thought, stay there."

He ignored the dig. "Elina, I see them too."

Perhaps it was because he used her given name for the first time, but Elina finally looked at him properly. He looked lost and alone, his eyes flat silver disks in the moonlight.

"Believe me, I wouldn't joke about this. All these years, I thought I was the only one who could see them, the only one who understood what it was like. Tell me who it was for you, I have to know."

He took her bloody, gristle-covered hand but she recoiled. Staring at him for a moment, she faltered.

"Don't joke with me okay? You can rile me about Scorpius and Rose and my brother, but not about this."

"I'm not, I swear. You did see someone die didn't you? How would I know that if I weren't telling the truth?"

Elina had no idea why she told him. It seemed that the story had been trapped at the bottom of her throat for years, just waiting for an opportunity to be free. And now that it had been given an escape, she had no control over it.

"My father."

She looked at James, who said nothing. No stumbled apologies, no false words of sympathy, no cliché about time healing all wounds. He just looked at her, silent. It was that, more than anything, that convinced her to continue.

"He was a Death Eater, you see. Many years ago, back when the War was happing, long before he met my mother. He settled down when that had my brother and me, got a normal job at the Ministry, all of that." She stopped, but James' gaze never faltered. His green eyes coaxed her on. "But then, after a few years, he got bored. He and a few of his Death Eater friends from the past were trying to stage some sort of coup, a last hurrah sort of thing. I'm not sure what they were trying to do exactly, probably take down the Ministry or something, but somehow they got found out. These three Aurors, these big beastly men, came storming into our house during dinner to arrest him. But Dad…Dad was never one to take that sort of thing lying down. He tried to fight them, but they outnumbered him. They killed him, right there in our dining room." The words tumbled into each other in their rush to escape, making the story so rushed she wondered if James had understood. One look at James' face told her he had.

"How old were you?" he asked finally.

"Nine or ten. I can't remember."

"That's…I don't know what to say."

"No. No one ever does. I think it's better to just say nothing." There was a silence, which James promptly shattered with his usual tact.

"That explains it, I suppose."

"Explains what?"

"Why you're so quick to attack people and get angry. I suppose it's just your father's genes acting out in you, or the way he brought you up."

She turned on him, angrily. 'I am nothing like my father."

"No, I'm nothing like mine either," he said thoughtfully. "Funny how that happens."

Elina turned away to feed the thestrals, lowering her head to hide the tears. Suddenly, all she could see was her father, pale and small in the sticky red pool growing around him. The wheezing pants of his breaths were inaudible over the sound of her mother's screams, so wrenching and heart-breaking that it haunted Elina for years. She remembered being unable to cry, buried in the lap of her comfortingly large brother, who never knew what to say, but always knew what to do. She hated those memories: they branded her with pain.

"What about you?" she asked, clearing her throat. He looked confused.

"What about me?"

"What's your story? I told you mine, now you tell me yours."

"You already know mine." She turned to him, perplexed. "Don't you remember? Your first year at Hogwarts? In October?"

She wracked her brain for a moment before the memory struck. She remembered the Dailey Prophet's headlines more than anything: _The Boy Who Died_ and _The Chosen One's Tragedy. _She turned to look at James, who was watching the Thestrals tear at the meat with their teeth, kicking at each other in their hunger. She threw another piece of meat into the enclosure, watching it land on the ground with a splat.

"Your brother," she said to James, who shuddered visibly. Elina pretended she hadn't seen.

"So you do remember," he whispered, still looking away. "You always need to jog people's memories about Al. They remember after a while, just never off the bat. Who remembers the little first year who was only here a month? Even if he is the son of the Chosen One."

"There were stories going around for weeks. That some Death Eater caught up with him, that he fell from a Hippogriff, even that your father went insane and killed him. No one ever knew what really happened."

"He drowned," said James, sounding quite different from his normal self. "He would have been your age now."

"Drowned?"

"We snuck out after dark one night, just him and me. I wanted to scare him by bringing him to the Whomping Willow. But once we were out there, I realised I'd dropped my wand on the grounds. I only left him for a second to double back and find it. I came running back when I heard the splash, but he'd already gone under." His voice lowered to a whisper, so soft Elina had to strain to hear him. "He was a great swimmer, but there were Grindylows holding him under." With a sudden spark of energy he raised his voice, addressing Elina without looking at her. "What spells did you know in your third year?"

"I don't know. Wingardium Leviosa, Alohamora, Lumos, Expelliarmus, Stupefy maybe…Nothing impressive, I guess."

"I didn't know any either. None that could hurt a Grindylow, especially not a whole group of them. By the time I managed to get them off him…well, it was too late."

For a while, the pair simply watched the thestrals feed in silence. Then, James suddenly turned to her.

"Do you want to ride one?" he asked.

"A thestral? I don't think that's…"

"Oh, come on. What's the point of having a great tragedy in your life if you can't squeeze a bit of fun out of it?"

"I don't think we're allowed…"

"If I spent my life concerned with what I wasn't allowed to do, I'd never do anything." He clambered over the fence and walked towards the appeased creatures. "You can stay if you like, Princess. I'll go by myself."

Elina hesitated, looking at the castle looming in the distance. Then, surrendering, she followed suit as James carefully approached the winged horses. He looked as surprised as she was at her bold action.

"Little Miss Righteous, living on the edge," he scorned. "Scared?"

"No," she answered, but the shake in her voice gave her away. The smirk on James' face told her he'd heard. Drawing herself upright, Elina found herself flooded with determination to prove James wrong.

"I'll take that one," she said, pointing at the thestral that had eaten out of her hand, but James wasn't looking. He'd chosen the largest thestral in the herd and was running his hand down the length of the creature's back, not even provoking a reaction. Tapping its flank, he grabbed onto the thick black mane and swung himself astride with a grunt of effort. The creature let out a whinny, but remained calm. James looked at Elina, a challenge in his eyes.

"Your move," he dared.

Her face set, Elina tried to copy the movement, only to jump back in fear when the thestral let out a snort. James laughed from atop his steed, only making her more decided to show him up. She stroked the thestrals neck and it snapped to attention.

"Shh, shh. Nice horsey. Good…giant skeleton horsey thing."

"That'll make it like you."

"Shut up Potter."

She reached out and grabbed the mane, but the thestral let out an unsettled whinny and trotted away. Taking off after it, she heard James call after her.

"One smooth motion."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"You're not doing it right! Just grab and pull, it's not hard."

Elina managed to pull herself up halfway, before falling to the ground, dirt covering her clothes. The thestral reared, before leaning down to gnaw at a leftover bone lying on the ground.

"That was graceful."

"It's not as easy as it looks."

"You can't do anything, can you?"

"Just give me a second!"

Not giving the thestral time to react, she yanked at its mane and hauled herself onto its back. The creature was nervous and jittery beneath her, but she turned to look at James with pride. He was unimpressed.

"Well, now you've managed step one. Congratulations. I'm so very proud of you."

"I'm not trying to impress you."

"Really? Then explain why you're here, trying to prove to me that you're brave and all that."

"Don't flatter yourself. It's not for your benefit."

"Whatever you say, princess. Now, give your thestral a quick kick and we'll be off."

James settled himself comfortably on his creature's back, preparing himself for flight. Elina felt a small rush of panic.

"Potter, wait!" He stopped. "Is this safe?"

"Completely. So long as you don't, you know, fall or anything."

"Suddenly I'm filled with confidence."

With a smirk, James gave the thestral's flank a kick. It took off down the paddock, galloping for a few moments before deploying its great leathery wings. The horse and its rider rose gently into the night sky, the moonlight gleaming off the thestral's pelt and James' hair. As they began to glide into the air, Elina yelled after him.

"Have you done this before?"

She heard his voice reply faintly. "No! But why not, right?"

Watching him vanish into the distance, Elina summed up her courage.

"Come on," she said to herself. "You can do this. He won't let you forget it if you don't." With a deep breath, she delivered a swift kick to the solid body beneath her, which let out a soft roar. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the thestral started to trop, and the gallop down the grassy planes, stretching out its wings on either side. She gripped onto the thick black mane for dear life, the coarse fibres biting at her finger. As they raced on, the rhythmic sound of hooves against the ground died away and Elina closed her eyes tightly, moving as little as possible. Soon, the bat-like wings began to beat against her legs, ritually smacking her as they ascended.

Soon she heard the flapping sound of a thestral beside her, and she knew James was near. Still close-eyed, she tried to enjoy the sensation of sailing through the air, but the movement was rough and jolted, each beat of the wings making her wonder if she would be dislodged.

"You have to open your eyes," she heard James demand, his voice faded.

"I can't," she replied, clinging desperately to the mane and squeezing her legs together tightly. The beast beneath her rocked unsteadily and she tried not to imagine the stretch of space between her and the ground.

"We're only up here for the view! Trust me. You're less likely to fall if you can see where you're going."

She heard the sound of his thestral swooping away, and wrapped her arms around her own thestral's neck. She tentatively opened her eyes, keeping her eyes fixed upward. With a start, she realised how high they were flying: a few wisps of foggy cloud surrounded her face, moistening her hair. She gazed out at the school and the grounds, taking in the sight of the Black Lake gleaming in the moonlight, the burned black lands, the magnificent castle with firelight burning behind each window. Looking down, she felt her stomach drop, but distracted herself with the sights she saw. The creatures she'd been feeding only moments before were as small as insects, Grawp's tower barely visible. The Forbidden Forest looked like nothing more than a lush green carpet from above, harmless and innocent. From this high above, nothing down below seemed scary: it was all so small and far away. She was barely aware that she was smiling.

With a laugh, she dealt another kick to the thestral, who had been simply hovering in the air after having risen. Whinnying, the horse began to soar through the air, its wings cutting through the wind like butter. Cruel, frozen winds whipped her face and she flew by, but she barely even noticed. She threw her head back, her hair rippling back, and laughed manically.

They swept over the Quidditch field and the miles of space that surrounded Hogwarts, basking in silence and emptiness. Looping around the turrets of the castle, they drifted so low they could have touched the stone of the roof. Sweeping over the lake, she saw the creatures of the black water swim near the surface, but never break it, their skins gleaming like moonshine in the darkness. Over the Forest, she listened to the roaring sound of wind in her ears and wondered what was happening below the canopy of leaves. She was just soaring towards the greenhouses when James caught up with her, his eyes streaming from the wind.

"Come on!" he yelled. "If we stay out too long, they'll come looking for us!"

"Can't we stay a little longer?" she asked.

"Not unless you want more detention. I don't know about you, but I have better things to do with my evenings. Down!"

The last command was directed at his steed, which dipped towards the ground. With a high, Elina leaned towards her thestral's ears, no longer afraid of being unseated.

"Down." Nothing happened. After a pause, Elina tried again. "Um…down…please?"

With a sudden snort, the horse began to plummet downwards, its head pointing towards the ground below. Elina choked back a scream as they fell, the thestrals wings stretched out like a drag chute. Just before they hit the ground, it slowed down, alighting gently with Elina still gripping to the creature. James had already dismounted, and was caressing his mount's neck.

"Take your time," he griped as she slid off in a very unattractive manner, landing in an ungainly heap on the ground.

"Relax. I'm here aren't I?"

"I take it you had fun."

"Eh." Elia shrugged in an effort to be cavalier. "It was okay."

"Don't fight it, you loved it. Detention with James Potter is a fantastic life experience. Deep insights into past pain, thestral rides, the chance to be around a beautiful man such as myself… I should start charging money."

"Well, your ego seems intact.'

He leapt over the fence and started to walk down to Grawps hut. "Always. Anyway, I'm off to see Grawp. The bloke forgets to feed himself half the time, poor guy and I promised my dad I'd look in on him every once in a while. You need to report to Jones, or else she won't sign you off for detention. Grawp is meant to do it, but I doubt he will."

"Don't you need to get signed off as well?"

"Nah, Jones and I are tight. Besides, Grawp will remember I was here. I just can't promise you'll stick in his mind."

She watched him stride away down the path without looking back, lurching slightly as he went from the odd feeling that followed flying. With a final pat to her thestral, she made her way back towards the castle. When you were on the grounds, they seemed to stretch out for miles; from the air, they had been miniscule.

When she reached the castle, she turned back to the spot where she'd seen Rose and Scorpius sitting, which was now devoid of any trace they'd been there. The thought still burned her, but somehow it didn't seem so bad anymore. Just the thought of speeding through the air seemed to erase the awful day she'd suffered through. Gazing back at the thestral enclosure from her place on the steps, Elina was hit with the realisation that since beginning her detention, she hadn't thought about Scorpius once. Shaking the uneasy feeling growing in her chest, she turned back into the castle, leaving James and the thestrals behind her as she went.

**Chapter 6- Scorpius Malfoy**

"Hello Rose. You look beautiful tonight."

Scorpius' reflection stared back at him, unimpressed. Taking a deep breath, he shook himself, trying to quell his anxiety. He tried again, lowering his voice so it sounded deeper, and hopefully sexier.

"Hello Rose. You are lookin' fine."

He shook his head, staring at himself critically. Everything had to be perfect for tonight and his first impression was worrying him. He wouldn't let himself think about the rest of the date: the nerves might just kill him. Straightening his collar, he gave it one last shot.

"Hi!" His voice was at least an octave higher than usual. He coughed. "I mean, hi. Hey Rose. I'm glad you could make it."

"Watcha doing?" He spun to see Jenne Dolohov, her eyebrows raised questioningly. He couldn't bring himself to care. Somehow, people like Jenna didn't seem to matter anymore.

"I'm practicing." He bounded over to his bed in the corner of the dormitory, still in perfect view of Jenna, who was sifting through Vincent's things. "I've got a date tonight."

"Oh yeah, you and Rose are an item now. I heard about that. Well, the whole school did, thanks to your not-so-subtle breakup skills. Very nice, by the way. Real tactful."

Scorpius found himself smiling uncontrollably at the sound of Rose's name. It was a struggle to think of anything except her: her name, her voice and her face seemed tattooed in his mind. "I'm so happy, Jenna." He sighed. "I know how crazy and cliché and stupid it sounds, but she makes me so happy."

"Happier than Elina did?"

It took Scorpius a moment to place who she was talking about. "Oh," he said awkwardly. "Her." He paused and considered for a moment. "I don't care, Jen. I know it sounds selfish, and it is, but I just can't make myself care."

Jenna retrieved the item she had been searching for, Vincent's Muggle Studies Textbook. "I don't think you're selfish, Scorpius. I just think you're young."

"Easy there, grandma. You're only two years older than me."

"Two years older and two years wiser." She blew him a kiss. "You go back to wooing your reflection. Be sure to invite me to the wedding."

"You can be my best man."

Jenna looked at him for a moment, hugging Vincent's book to her chest. "Be careful, okay kid? Don't let this girl break your heart."

"She wouldn't," said Scorpius confidently, but Jenna didn't look convinced. She left before he could persuade her, her blond braid snaking down her back, but he didn't mind. Returning to his place at the dormitory mirror, he made an effort to fix his unruly mop of hair, but it stayed messy. Giving up, he gave his own reflection a wink.

"You've got this, Scorpius," he told himself firmly. "She'll like you." After one final check, he inhaled deeply and steadied himself. Then, with a rush of anticipation, he made his way down the stairs to meet Rose

…..

She was only five minutes late, but Scorpius' heart was thudding madly in his chest. He paced nervously up and down the corridor, tearing at the skin around his thumbnail, a habit he'd broken years ago. His gazed was fixed to the watch around his wrist as he watched the hands tick on and on, counting each endless second. Tapping his foot nervously, he tried not to panic.

"Scorpius!" Rose's melodic voice was like a ray of sunlight cutting through his nerves. It seemed that every issue he had melted away: what did it matter how he looked, how he presented himself? As long as Rose was with him, there could be no problems. He turned to find her running towards him, her cheeks blushed pink from exertion, her body wracked with pants. He'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, drinking her in. She flushed an even darker red.

"Hello Scorpius." She looked around. "Is this where we're having our date then? The third floor corridor?"

He laughed. "Give me a little more credit than that."

"Well, it'll be hard to top last night."

"You underestimate me, Miss Weasley." Gesturing at the door behind him, he made an effort to conceal his eagerness. "Prepare to be amazed."

"Well now my expectations are skyrocketing."

"And I intend to meet them."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Is this…the Room of Requirement?"

With a smile, Scorpius pushed open the door, holding it open for me. "Why don't you go and see."

He watched her enter, seeing her face turn from anticipation to sheer wonderment. Surveying the room with pride, Scorpius felt pleased with himself, examining what he had created. The Room was barely recognisable as a room at all, for as far as one could see, it was nothing but an expanse of tall, lush trees with long thin leaves and mysterious fruits sprouting from their branches. The ground was soft and spongy, like moss, divided by a small thin stream that wormed its way in between the clumps of vegetation. Even the ceiling was transformed, designed to look like a clear blue sky, with a sun-like star shining from behind a puffy white cloud. The sound of bird calls and animal chatter echoed around them, sweeping them up in the enchantment. As Rose gasped, butterflies the colour of spun gold circled her, drifting around her hair. Bending down to run her fingers through the stream, she laughed in surprise as some small fish came to nibble at her fingers. Unable to take his eyes off her, Scorpius closed the door, which subsequently vanished into the mossy green foliage that coated the walls. Rose looked up at him, her eyes shining in the light.

"You did all this?" she asked in wonderment. Scorpius would have grown the forest from scratch to see that look on her face.

"Well," he said self-consciously, "the room did. I just told it what to do."

"How…how did you…"

"I can't take all the credit. I will admit, I asked your brother what you liked more than anything and he told me you'd always wanted to visit the Amazon rainforest. Since I couldn't bring you there, I thought I'd bring the forest to you."

He watched as she ran her fingers across the leaves, her feet leaving footprints in the thick ground. He could have watched her forever.

"I can't believe you did this," she murmured.

"I can't believe you're here."

"Scorpius…"

"I mean it. You're so beautiful and special and…" Scorpius struggled to find his words, but Rose cut him off rapidly.

"You don't have to do that all the time."

"Do what?" he asked baffled.

"Compliment me. It's sweet and everything, but don't. Please."

"Someone should tell you these things, don't you think? I mean, what's the point of being amazing if no one ever tells you that you are?"

He couldn't place the sad look Rose gave him, but it was gone in a moment. Soon, she kicked off her shoes and let her feet dangle in the water.

"This is incredible. It's just like I imaged the Amazon would be."

"I'm curious now. Why the Amazon, of all places? I would have thought you were more of a parklands girl."

"I don't know. I've always liked the idea of a place completely remote. And the forest just seems so alive."

"And the Forbidden Forest is what? Too tame?"

"Too magical."

"There's a new one. I never thought I'd hear a witch say something was too magical."

"My mother's muggle born, you see. She used to always tell me stories about life without magic and how people live, with electricity and things like that. It's not that I want to be a muggle or anything. I just get a bit sick of it after a while."

"The answer to that lies in the Amazon forest?"

Rose laughed. "I suppose it doesn't make much sense, does it? It just seems like such an incredible idea: magic without magic."

"You should strike up a conversation with my Muggle Studies teacher. That's exactly what she calls electricity."

"What about you? Where would you go, if you could go anywhere in the world?"

Scorpius yanked off his shoes and seated himself next to Rose, cool water dancing about his feet. Tingles went down his spine as their legs touched.

"To be honest, there's nowhere else I'd rather be." Rose nudged him playfully.

"Come on! The world's your oyster, you can go anywhere, see anything!"

After a moment of thought, he answered. "The mountains, I suppose, somewhere cold and far away. My dad used to take us skiing when we were young."

"Isn't it cold enough here? In winter, I mean, when it's snowing and stuff."

"I'd like to go somewhere where it snowed all year-round, I think. The good kind of snow, not the grey sludge we get here."

"There are different levels of snow?"

"I consider myself something of an expert on the subject and yes, there are. I'm talking about the thick, cushiony snow, the kind that's all soft and dry."

"I don't think I've ever seen snow like that."

"Well then hold onto your hat." He looked up at the ceiling and addressed the room. "I need it to snow, like it does in the Mountains."

Soft flakes began to fall from the sky, which had turned from a clear blue to a pale grey. The spongy green ground became a carpet of white powder beneath their feet, and Rose managed to withdraw her feet from the stream before it turned to ice. The leaves and fruits vanished from the trees, leaving them bare and bathed in snow. In a matter of moments, there was not a single speck of green in the white wonderland the Room created. Rose stretched out her fingers, letting them be caressed by the snowflakes that drifted down. Laughing, she twirled, kicking up snow as she went.

"It's beautiful," she cried delightedly, before looking at him directly. "I see why you love this."

She looked stunning in the snow, flakes of white melting in her hair, on her cheeks, even on her eyelashes. It took him a moment to realise the cold seeping through the soles of his feet and he quickly found and pulled on his shoes. Looking up, he saw Rose was shivering.

"You're cold," he said, concerned. As he spoke, a thick coat appeared, lying atop the fresh snow. Picking it up, he walked over and wrapped it around her, her face only inches from his.

"So," she whispered, her eyes fixed on his. "Is this how you imagined it would be?"

"No," he answered. "It's so much better."

_Music _he thought, and the room listened. Soft, sweet music floated through the air and coiled around the couple. Scorpius bowed low with a flourish, flakes of snow sliding down the back of his neck.

"May I have this dance?"

Rose curtsied, holding an imaginary skirt out by her sides. "But of course, kind sir."

She slid her arm into his and drew him closer, resting her chin on his shoulder. Her scent, light as lavender, filled his nose and went straight to his brain. He wondered if it was possible to die of happiness. They swayed together in the snow, beneath the whirling snowfall, dancing upon the soft rug that crunched beneath their feet. After an infinite moment, Rose pulled back and Scorpius saw she was crying. The tear had frozen against her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, wiping it away. Her face was warm beneath his icy fingers.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Everything's perfect."

"Can I compliment you yet?"

Rose let out a small laugh. "I think it might be my turn." She reached out and touched his cheek, her fingers light as feathers against his skin. "This is all so incredible, Scorpius. I still can't believe you went to all this effort for me."

"I'll let you in on a little secret." He leaned in close, his lips almost brushing her cheek. "It was for me as well." Catching her off guard, he twirled her around, almost sending her reeling off balance before he caught her again. His plan succeeded: she smiled again.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to."

"I love this place," she murmured, her eyes half closed. He was so close to her, their noses almost touched.

"I love you," he answered and without thinking, he leaned in to kiss her. This time, she didn't move away. Time seemed to stand still as the couple remained intertwined, still swaying beneath the snow.

They were cut short by the sound of the door of the Room crashing open. Scorpius looked up to see Vincent Goyle, accompanied by Andrew Yaxley. The two Slytherins took in the scene before them, their stupid faces bewildered as the music stopped and the snow ceased to fall. Vincent's eyes found Scorpius, who felt his heart swell with fear. He stepped forward, taking the space between Goyle and Rose.

"What do we have here?" snarled Goyle. "You move on quick, don't you Malfoy?"

Yaxley sniggered as though Goyle had spoken words of great wit. Scorpius ignored him.

"As you can see, we're a bit busy. We'll settle this later, Vincent."

Goyle stepped into the room, his boots buried in the snow, his face contorted. His enormous form seemed as though it could engulf Scorpius whole.

"You know, I never liked you. But my sister did, so I never acted on it." Cracking his knuckles, he rolled his head around his neck. "But she doesn't like you anymore, does she?"

Scorpius felt Rose's fingers dig into his shoulder, but barely felt it. He tried to focus on Vincent, but he found it difficult to concentrate on anything except the feeling of her body pressed against him, warm in the cold air.

"I'm not going to fight you," he said firmly. Goyle cocked an eyebrow.

"I wasn't going to fight you, pretty boy. I was going to beat you."

Yaxley chortled again as Vincent pounded his fist into his palm. Rose stepped out from behind Scorpius, despite how hard he tried to block her.

"Back off, Vincent," she spat.

"Look who has something to say. I have a rule not to hit girls, but I can make an exception for you, Weasley."

Rose's hand shot to her wand, levelling it at his face. To his credit, Vincent didn't even flinch, his own wand materialising in his hand in moments. Scorpius, sensing the situation escalating, stepped between them.

"Leave her out of this, she hasn't done anything. I'm not going to fight you..." Scorpius drew his wand, "but I will duel you."

Goyle laughed. "Really? This will be even easier that beating you up." Scorpius turned to Rose, whose face was furrowed in rage. "Get out of here, Rose."

"No. Absolutely not."

"I'll deal with this. I'll find you later, I promise."

"Don't do this. It's stupid and childish. Just walk away."

"Listen to your girlfriend," taunted Goyle. "Walk away."

Scorpius disregarded him. "Please, just let me do this Rose. Beat him in one fair fight and he'll leave me alone." He saw her waver. "I'll be fine. I just can't have you mixed up in this. Trust me." With a wink, he bent to whisper in her ear. "I'm a champion at duelling."

"Okay," she said with trepidation before giving him a kiss on the cheek. The spot of his skin burned pink. "Give him hell," she added as she walked out, making sure her shoulder collided with Goyle. He was already ready, his wand gripped in his hand, and barely seemed to notice Rose leave.

The room had been transformed to suit their needs. The snow, the trees and the stream had all vanished, leaving behind a smooth concrete floor with dull grey walls. Goyle looked Scorpius up and down with a smug smile.

"Ready, pretty boy?"

"Ready."

The two of them marched into the middle of the room, Yaxley following close behind, almost salivating with eagerness. He stood between the two boys, who had their eyes fixed firmly on each other. Goyle had never looked more terrifying to Scorpius, with his watery eyes standing out from among the thin lines where the ripe red cuts used to be. Scorpius had wondered how he'd gotten them, but was much too concerned for his own safety to ask. Over the years, Scorpius had been involved in many duels, some with people much older and more talented than he, but never with someone quite so big as Goyle. He swallowed his fear, letting his mind settle on the thought of Rose. The effect as almost instant; he relaxed.

"Alright!" said Yaxley. "Everyone knows the rules. Nice and clean, no unforgivable curses, everything above the table. On the count of three, draw your wands and duel. Agreed?"

This was the most Scorpius had ever heard Yaxley say. "Agreed."

Goyle's eyes were so small they looked closed. "Agreed."

"Good. And three – two – one – _duel!" _

Scorpius sprang into action, but Goyle had already raised his wand.

"_Conjunctivitis!" _Scorpius dodged the spell, throwing himself aside. He slashed his wand through the air with a sneer.

"_Avis_!" Rose's signature spell seemed to be the only one he could think of at that moment. The birds that shot from his wand spiralled towards Goyle, chasing him down before it hit the shield he sprung up around his body with a shriek of "_Protego!"_

By this time, Scorpius had found his feet and lifted his wand again, but Goyle was ready.

"_Suffocante_!" Suddenly, an intense pressure closed down on Scorpius' chest, constricting his breath. Falling to his knees, he clawed at his throat, only just managing to cling onto his wand.

"_Bullaspirante!" _he rasped, pointing his wand at his own head. A bubble filled with air swelled around his nose and mouth, cool oxygen flooding his lungs as he clambered upright. Goyle was already waiting.

"_Furnunculus!_" roared Goyle, and excruciating pain covered Scorpius' face. Thick, pus-filled boils began to burst from behind his skin, burning in agony. Without pausing to clutch at them, he jabbed his wand towards his opponent.

"_Flagelli!"_

Goyle's body was wracked with convulsions at it was struck again and again by an invisible whip. Yaxley was cowering in the corner, blanching as he saw his friend tumble to the ground with a grunt of pain. Red with effort, Goyle managed to reach up and spit out a spell.

"L-_lianna Comprimo!"_

Thick green vines, covered with thorns, wound around Scorpius' body, only narrowly avoiding bursting the bubble around his mouth. The barbs dug into his skin as the vines squeezed him tightly, only constricting further against his efforts to squirm free. Holding his wand in the tips of his fingers, he only just managed to point in at a still writhing Goyle.

"_Retrovis!" _he coughed. With a crack, Goyle was sent flying back, his back and head slamming into the concrete wall behind him before sprawling to the floor. Scorpius manage to free himself of the vines, shaking them from his body and reaching up to touch the boils that covered his face, being sure to steer clear of the bubble of air. He doubted the suffocating spell was still in place, but that wasn't a risk he was ready to take. Distracted, he didn't see Goyle get to his feet or register the madness in his opponent's eyes; rage emanated from every part of the large man's person. With a horrific, disfiguring snarl, he flung out his arm towards Scorpius and let out a hideous cry.

"_Cruci-_"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" came a voice roaring from the doorway. The three boys turned to see Jordan Michaels, a prefect of Hufflepuff, practically frothing at the mouth. His eyes were wide and horrified as he saw the state of the duellers.

"Detention, the three of you! I ought to suspend you! Duelling on school property!"

The three of them mumbled apologies as Goyle straightened himself, still jerking as Scorpius' spell continued to work. With a wave of Jordan's wand, the whipping stopped and the boils disappeared back into Scorpius' skin, the pain seeping away with it. The bubble burst, leaving him relieved to find that he could breathe again.

Jordan stepped aside to allow them to pass through the doorway, his face cold. "I'd better not catch any of you making trouble around here again, or it'll be much worse than detention and fifty points from Slytherin."

"Fifty?" asked Scorpius, appalled.

"Keep pushing and I'll make it a hundred. Get out of my sight."

The three boys slunk outside, Scorpius still bleeding from where the thorns had pricked him.

"This isn't over," said Goyle angrily, rubbing his sore head. "I'll be back for you, Malfoy."

"I don't care," replied Scorpius and he meant it. Even now, nothing seemed to matter aside from finding Rose and telling her what had happened. Swelling with excitement, he thought of the look that would appear on her face, pleased and admiring. He wanted nothing more in the world than for her to be proud of him. As Goyle and Yaxley slunk off to the common room, he began to make his way down the stairs, being cut off by the only person he wanted to see.

"Rose," he gasped happily. She threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, examining him. "You're bleeding."

"Just a few scratches. I'm sure I'll live," he answered, although the pricks stung painfully.

"Did Jordan get you in a lot of trouble?"

"Only a…wait, how did you know about that?"

"I sent him up. I had to, Scorpius, I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt, especially not because of me."

"Rose, this isn't your fault."

"Of course it is. If you hadn't broken up with Elina, Goyle never would have gone near you."

"Oh, that's not true. He's been looking for an excuse to jump me for years."

"Scorpius, I…"

He couldn't stand to see her looking so sad. "Don't worry, okay? I took care of it. I'm sorry our date was cut short."

"Well, it was a terrible date anyway," she quipped playfully.

"Was it now?"

"Oh yes. Forests and snowstorms? Please. _So _last year. Until I have a date where I'm riding unicorns dancing atop a rainbow, I will not be satisfied."

"Well, we were lucky enough to have a real-live troll interrupt our date. So that's dancing: check, magical creatures: check..."

She sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose it'll have to do. Speaking of the troll, did you kick his arse?"

"I was like lightning –_ha! _Jellylegs Jinx !–_hai-ya! _Bat Bogey hex!" He mimed sword fighting with his wand and Rose laughed.

"I'm sure you were amazing."

"Like I said, I am the champion of duelling."

"Well, a champion must be thirsty." She held out a bottle. "Pumpkin juice?"

"Sure." Taking it, he gulped down a few mouthfuls of the sweet, fresh liquid. For a moment, the world seemed to spin, but he pinned that down to the adrenaline. After steadying himself, he handed back the flagon, stopping short when he saw Rose.

Somehow, she seemed to have almost tripled in beauty, her hair and skin gleaming like gold in the light, her eyes so deep and soft he almost found himself lost in them. It was almost as though she glowed from within, bathed in an angelic halo. He took a moment just to look at her, enraptured as the skin of her cheeks turned from peach to pink.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"You're just…so…" he couldn't place what he wanted to say, so he simply kissed her, still surprised that she was kissing him back. Times like this, he wondered why such a girl wasted her time on him. Still, he wasn't about to complain.

"So," murmured Rose after a while. "Where do you want to go now?"

"Wherever you want. Paris? Rome? The Moon?"

"Why don't we go for a walk on the grounds?"

"Even better."

As she took his arm and they wondered down the corridor, Scorpius wondered what he'd done to deserve such good fortune. Vincent didn't matter, nor did cuts or spells or detention. All that mattered was the beautiful girl that stood beside him, shining like a star in the torchlight.

**Chapter 7- James Potter**

"James!" He heard the call echo out from behind him and turned idly to find Rose and Scorpius holding hands as they walked along the corridor, making their way down to the grounds. She offered him a small wave and he nodded in her direction, barely even making the effort to smile. He watched as Scorpius said something to her that made her laugh.

"Rosy-Pose," he said dryly as he turned. "Who's this?"

"You know Scorpius."

"Yes, I do, don't I?" James' voice came out sharper than he'd expected and he noticed Rose startle. He saw her warning look, but continued to speak. "Where do I know you from? Oh yes, I remember! You dumped that girl at breakfast the other day."

"James!" Rose hissed angrily, but Scorpius touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"It's alright, Rose," he told her gently. James barked with laughter.

"Oh it's alright, is it? Well thank god! Thank god you were here, Malfoy, to tell me everything would be okay. Where would I be without your kind, comforting words?"

"James, what's wrong?" asked Rose. _I don't know_ he wanted to answer. Instead, he turned away from the couple, resuming his easy, loping strides.

"You two have fun. I wish you eternal happiness and all that crap. Enjoy gazing into each other's eyes."

Rose called after him, but he kept walking, his unruly hair falling scruffily into his eyes. He made his way back to the common room, abandoning the idea of a walk along the grounds. He didn't want his brooding interrupted by the happiness of others.

"Senora Gorda," he muttered crossly as he reached the portrait.

"Nope," said the Fat Lady, sounding very pleased with herself. James stopped.

"What?"

"That isn't the Password. It's changed. I changed it ten minutes ago."

"Tell me you're joking."

"I never joke about Passwords."

"Come on, you know it's me. Let me in, just this once."

"Kids today have no manners. No please or thank you or anything, just ordering me about as if I don't have anything better to do."

"You're a painting! You don't have anything to do!" The Fat Lady snorted contemptuously. "Alright. Please can you let me in?"

"I'm afraid not. You never know, with Polyjuice potion and disguise spells and all that voodoo. You could be anybody."

James kicked the wall in frustration, doing more damage to his foot than to the stone. The Fat Lady whistled.

"Anger management," she suggested quietly as James paced, trying to work off the pain of a foot he was half sure was broken. Irritation pricked from beneath his skin.

"Perfect," he said to himself. "Just perfect."

"With an attitude like that, you can't be surprised when life doesn't go your way."

James took a deep breath, resisting the urge to take out his wand and tear the portrait to smithereens. "Thank you," he said with a great deal of effort. "I appreciate your efforts to improve me."

He stalked off, making his way down the stairs, directionless. Wandering the halls, he sought a victim for the anger and aggression that was built up inside him without a purpose. He used to have days like this often after Al died; days of fury at everything and everyone that surrounded him. It was an odd, unshakable rage, like a second skin that couldn't be shed. Just like the thought of Elina.

She was annoying and aggressive and righteous, but she stuck him like a splinter in his skin. The thought of her seemed to plague him: Elina laughing astride her thestral, Elina's eyes shining silver with unshed tears, Elina and her half smile that told him she'd thought of something funny she didn't wish to share. He told himself he only felt this way because she too saw the thestrals, but he knew that was a lie. In many ways, Elina was almost exactly like him. She knew the feeling of having wrath bubble under her skin and being unable to set it free, although she chose to tackle it by attacking people, while he simply pushed them mercilessly until they cracked. He considered the look on her face at the sound of his taunts; each word had struck her but she hadn't shed a single tear. That thought gave him a feeling he couldn't quite place. It was cold and leaden and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

Walking down the corridors, he was shaken from his reverie by a muffled, choking sound. He looked to see that the sound was coming from the girl's bathrooms, the unmistakable sound of sobbing. _Good _he thought childishly and he was just about to walk past when the door opened to reveal two girls he recognised, a pair of silly sixth-years named Tina and Kat. They squealed when they saw him.

"James!"  
"James, hi!"

"Oh my gosh, it's been so long! You look great, doesn't he, Teen?"

"Amazing! Did you see us at your last Quiddich game? We were the ones holding the animated banner of you hitting that bludger! Did you see?"

"We just thought you were so amazing. You and what's his face are such amazing beaters."

"His name's Fred, silly! Isn't she silly James?"

"Yeah, yeah, silly," said James distractedly. "It was nice seeing you two."

The crying sound in the background escalated until even the girls couldn't ignore it anymore. They leaned in, eager to share the gossip.

"Do you hear that crying sound?"

"That's Elina Goyle."

James looked up, his attention grabbed. "Elina?"

"That's right. She's been crying her eyes out since lunch, poor thing."

"Her boyfriend broke up with her, you see."

"Kat, James knows! Everyone knows, it wasn't the quietest of breakups."

"He's being a right pig about it too, rubbing his new girl in her face. That Weasley girl, right?"

"Yeah, the clever one. That's her, all right, sharp as a tack."

"Well, that's super sad about Elina. She'll never find another boy as good as Scorpius."

"He's so hot, isn't he? And so good at Quiddich."

"That's enough girls," interrupted James brusquely. "I think we've covered all of the gossip for today."

Miraculously, they seemed to get the hint, twittering as they made their way down the stairs. James waited until they were gone, glancing up and down to make sure no one was coming. Then, with a neat push, he opened the door to the girl's bathroom, hoping fervently that Elina was the only one in there. He didn't know why he was going; his feet simply led him inside.

Only one cubicle of the bathrooms was taken, and the sound of crying was coming from inside. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door, wondering why he was even bothering. He turned to walk out when he heard Elina's voice, blocked by tears.

"Please go away."

James cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's, um, James."

There was a pause. "Potter? You can't be in here."

"Well, it seems I can. Since, you know, I am."

"What if someone comes in to use the bathroom?"

"I think the sound of your sobbing might drive them off. They can hear you in the hallway."

He heard Elina swallow audibly. "So that's why you're here? To laugh at me? Go ahead."

"No, I…I don't know why I'm here."

Elina took a breath, but she was interrupted by a sharp, piercing wailing sound that echoed through the marble room, forcing James to block his ears. He turned to see the ghost of a schoolgirl, tall and thin with long, dark pigtails and thick round glasses. She spiralled through the air, an extraordinary amount of sound reverberating from her ethereal mouth.

"Harry!" she cried delightedly, turning airborne cartwheels. "Harry you're back! I told everyone you'd come back! They all laughed but I knew! I knew!"

James almost fell back, overwhelmed as the spectre zoomed around its head. Just as she swooped in towards his face, she reared back, finally registering his features.

"You're not Harry," she said crossly.

"No, I'm not. I'm his son, James."

"Well that's all very well then. Here I am, rotting away in this bathroom, while he goes off and has kids. That's just fine!" Her voice rose to a glass-shattering level.

"You can't exactly rot, can you? You haven't got a body."

Even from behind the cubicle, he heard Elina laugh, which made him feel oddly proud. The ghost, however, let out an inhuman screech.

"Oh yes, make fun of me because I haven't got a body, that's really original. Just because I'm not made of flesh doesn't mean I don't have _feelings_."

"I never said you didn't have feelings. Now, if you'll excuse me, I just want to talk to that girl in there…"

"Well, excuse me! I should have known you weren't coming down here to visit me. No one ever does. No one cares about poor Myrtle, wasting away in the bathroom."

"Can't you leave?"

"What?" yelped Myrtle, surprised by the sudden interruption.

"I may not have that much experience with ghosts, but I'm fairly sure you aren't trapped in one place. If you wanted to move to, say, somewhere that wasn't a bathroom, no one's stopping you. Right?"

Myrtle's mouth open and closed like a goldfish. "You don't want me! You're trying to kick me out from here! After all these years I've spent here, you just want me thrown out like yesterday's trash." With a huff, Myrtle crossed her arms. "You know what? You are nothing like your father. You're more like that ugly ginger boy her used to hang out with."

She swung around and shot through the walls, spinning manically as she left with a high-pitched whine. James let out a low whistle.

"Yeesh. And I thought you were loud." He heard the sound of Elina's laughter again before it died away quickly.

"Potter, why are you here?"

"I told you. I don't know. I heard you were crying and I just…walked in."

"You are the last person I want to talk to," she told him, but there was no venom in her voice. She sounded defeated.

"Well tough. I'm the only one here." He waited a few moments. "Do you want to talk about it?" The words sounded strange in his mouth. It was the first time he'd said anything of the sort.

"No."

"Okay. We'll talk about something else then. Like the weather. Have you seen that weather? What is happening out there? I mean, it's sunny, but it's freezing as well. What the hell is that about? I think that of the weather is going to be cold, it should at least not try to trick you by bringing out the sun as well. There you are, getting lured outside by the glorious day, not even thinking to bring a coat, when suddenly – bam – it's cold! I don't even –"

"It's just… everything." Elina sounded defeated. "I know it's stupid. I just…everything seems to be going wrong all of a sudden. I thought that things would finally be okay, after all this time but now…"

Guilt swarmed in his chest, but he pushed it back without a second thought. "Maybe it's karma."

"Karma?"

"Sure. Maybe that's what happens when you push people the way you do. They leave you."

He heard the sound of the door unlocking and soon Elina stood before him, her eyes dry and angry.

"And this is from personal experience is it? I'm sure people are just queuing up to leave you."

"There's no need to be all touchy. I'm teaching you. You know, so you can grow and learn from your experiences and all that."

"And you're in a position to teach me? You? You've never even had a relationship, because no one can stand you long enough to spend time with you!"

"I have had relationships, thank you very much."

"None that mattered, clearly. God, you're so_ insufferable_! I'm not surprised no one wants to date you."

"You're one to talk. What was that he said? _I just don't want you, Elina. _Harsh."

"I thought you were done with this."

"So did I, but you seem to bring it out in me." James was speaking now without even realising it, his mouth moving beyond control. Elina wasn't upset this time: she was enraged.

"I was so right about you. You think you can drag me on some skeleton horse ride and tell me some sob story about your brother and it'll just change my entire opinion of you?"

"I don't give a damn what you think of me."

"Oh please. You're so concerned that people think you're cool and handsome and badass. Why else would you do everything you do?"

"My, my. If it isn't the little green monster of jealousy."

"The day I'm like you, shoot me through the skull."

"Well find me a gun then Princess. Because you are _exactly_ like me."

"Don't you dare call me princess. I couldn't be less like you."

"Oh really? Are you telling me you aren't so angry sometimes that you could kill everyone and not blink? That people frustrate you so much that you could just beat them to death? That you don't sometimes feel like there's something broken in your chest or your stomach that can't be fixed, no matter what you do?" By the look on her face, he saw that he'd hit the nail on the head. "You can fight it all you want, but we are very alike."

"You don't know me."

"You're right. I don't. And yet, here I am, trying to make you feel better."

"Is that what you're doing? You aren't very good at it."

"Well, this isn't exactly my wheelhouse. And you are extraordinarily difficult to comfort."

"Are you trying to comfort me or upset me?"

James thought a moment. As it turned out, he had no idea. "I don't –"

"Let me guess. You don't know?"

"I'm more of a 'go with my gut' kind of guy. That's what makes me so interesting and fun to be around."

"Yeah, you're a delight," she said sarcastically. "Go away, Potter. I came here to be alone."

"You came to a public bathroom to be alone? That's like standing in the middle of the hallway."

"I never asked you to come in."

"I think that's the point. You didn't have to ask."

James didn't know if she moved first or he did, but one moment they were glaring at each other and the next they were kissing. He crushed her against him as she slid her arms around his neck, their bodies fitting together perfectly. Pushing her back against the wall, he kissed her harder; his mind was filled with nothing but Elina.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" They broke apart to find a young girl with pale orange hair and an embarrassed expression. He stepped away from Elina rapidly as the girl burbled on. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you two were in here. Well, that's obvious, otherwise why would I be here? I don't really make a habit of walking in on couples. I just came in to…well, you know why I came in. But I can go. I mean, I should go. I'm going to go now." She awkwardly closed the door, her face appearing once more before she left to add a third. "I'm sorry."

James looked at Elina, unsure what to say. She wasn't looking at him, busying herself by checking her clothing and staring at the floor, doing anything but meet his eye.

"I should go too," he suggested, making his way towards the door.

"That's probably wise."

"That's me. I'm the wisest of them all."

"Don't think this changes anything between us, Potter," she called as he left. He half turned and smiled his most devastating smile, knowing that it was most likely squandered on a girl like Elina.

"I think you can call me James now."

He strode out from the bathroom, pleased with his exit until he noticed several girls looking at him with their eyebrows raised. Stumbling to find an excuse, he laughed uncomfortably.

"Oops. Would you look at that? Wrong bathroom!"

The girls rolled his eyes, but James shrugged them off, making his way up to the common room again. It seemed that walking around the school was a dangerous habit and he didn't need any more encounters. For a moment, he let himself think on what had happened, finding himself no closer to sorting out the mystery that was Elina Goyle. He wondered for a moment if he still hated her and found no answers in his own mind. Parking himself outside of the portrait of the Fat Lady, he remained still and silent until someone came to let him in, forbidding himself from thinking about Elina or anything else. It only took half an hour for a group of first years arrive and deliver the new Password: "Amor Juevenis." James clambered through the portrait behind them, annoyed and upset. He stormed up to the fireplace and almost pushed Victoire off Teddy's lap in an effort to drag him along.

"Wow, James, what's wrong?" asked Teddy and James pulled him away, deaf to the protests of a very disgruntled Victoire

"I need to talk to you. And Fred. Where's Fred?"

"Quidditch practise where you should be."

"Oh crap, not again."

"You might want to turn up every once in a while. They'll kick you off if you're not careful."

"Don't be stupid. No one hits a bludger like me. Anyway, I suppose if Fred isn't here, you'll do."

"Oh please, stop. You're making me blush."

James led Teddy to a secluded corner of the common room, away from all the students.

"You're not going to tell me you're in love with me, are you?" joked Teddy. James didn't deign to respond, but Teddy took his silence quite differently. "You're not, are you? God James, I'm flattered and everything, but I'm with Vicky. And I'm straight as well. Don't get me wrong, you're a good-looking guy and all but…"

James gave Teddy a mystified look. "What they hell are you on about?"

"Nothing. You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"The Goyle girl." Somehow it felt wrong to refer to her that way, to liken her to the brute in his year that he loathed. Somewhere along the way, she had transformed from the Goyle girl to Elina, but James couldn't explain that sort of thing to Teddy.

"What about her?"

"The Scorpius thing. Was it a good idea?"

"Why are you asking me? You're going to do whatever you want anyway."

"I just want your opinion."

"I've always thought it was a terrible idea. You know that. I literally said that from the start, but you didn't listen."

"Yeah, I know I remember. I was thinking…maybe I should just call the plan off."

"Really? Already?"

"I was just thinking. There isn't really a good way it can end and I think Rose might be embracing this a little too wholeheartedly."

"Seriously mate. What happened to you? Going soft?"

"I don't know the meaning of the word."

Teddy's eyes popped. "Oh my god. I can't believe I didn't see this before. It's so obvious!"

"What?"

"You like her! You like the Goyle girl."

James couldn't explain the irritation that boiled in his blood, but it was there nonetheless. "No, I don't."

"You do! You absolutely do!" Teddy laughed ecstatically. "Who'd have thought I'd live to see the day James Potter fell in love with Goyle's little sister."

"Keep your bloody voice down. I don't like Elina, I just feel weird messing up so many people's lives."

"So it's Elina now is it? First name basis? Getting comfy-cosy with each other?" Teddy nudged him. "Go on, you can tell me. You know I don't gossip."

"It's nothing to do with her!"

"It's not a sign of weakness to like someone, you know. No one will judge you. Unless…"

"I know what you're thinking Theodore, and don't you dare say it. You are one hundred per cent wrong."

"This whole plan was just a way to date her and get the competition out of the way! Throw your pretty cousin at Scorpius and steal his girl, am I right?"

"I'm not sitting here and listening to this," James moved away, frustrated. There were days where he wondered why he was even friends with Teddy.

"James and Elina sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," taunted Teddy gleefully. James paused, took a deep breath and kept walking.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…"

With a sigh, James turned to face his friend, his face devoid of any laughter. Teddy's voice faltered away slightly.

"You know, James, you can't just stop giving Scorpius that potion."

"Why not?"

"Don't you think people might find it weird that he suddenly fell for Rose, then suddenly had no interest in her at all?"

"He's fifteen. You know how it is. Hormones jumping about like crazy."

"People aren't as dumb as you seem to think they are. Eventually, someone will start some sort of rumour that Rose cast a spell on Scorpius. I mean, she's smart, she's competitive, every fifth-year girl has a crush on that Malfoy kid. It's a pretty short jump in logic and you know how people love that kind of thing."

"So what happens? We just let him drool over her forever?"

"Maybe you should think that over for yourself. It'll be good for you to get those brain cells in motion for once."

With a roll of his eyes, James returned to the armchairs, where Victoire was anxiously awaiting Teddy's return.

"I wish you wouldn't keep snatching him away," remarked Victoire crossly when she saw James. "Just because you're jealous we spend so much time together doesn't mean you can try and drive me away."

"Am I that transparent?" asked James dryly, but Victoire didn't have the best grasp of sarcasm.

"You know, James, maybe you should consider getting yourself a girlfriend."

James stepped back with a groan. "Sometimes, it's like you and Teddy have merged into one hybrid creature."

Victoire beamed. "Thank you!"

"I don't think you took that quite the way it was intended."

Teddy crossed over the room, coming to slide his arm around Victoire. "What are we talking about over here?" he asked.

"Evil mutant hybrid monsters that feed off each other."

James was saved from elaborating further when the Portrait swung open to reveal the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, aside from himself, pouring inside. Fred was the last of them, dripping with sweat and an impressive crimson colour. He was closely followed by a very annoyed Dylan Wood, the Quidditch Captain and Keeper, who was already dressed in his Gryffindor Quidditch Robes, even though they weren't playing a game. He zeroed in on James, who simply looked at him, bored.

"Potter! Where the hell were you today?"

"I forgot."

"It was the second practise of this year and you forgot them both."

"What can I say? Maybe I should invest in a Remembrall."

"If you miss one more practise, so help me God Potter, I will kick you off this team. I don't care who your father is or how talented you are."

"You think I'm talented?" James pretended to swoon, making Wood puff with anger.

"I mean it, Potter. You're on thin ice."

Wood stalked off, his broom bobbing beside him as he walked. A long trail of mud slicked down the back of his robes, making James snicker to himself.

"_You're on thin ice, Potter_," mimicked James as Fred made his way towards him.

"Where were you?"

"Enjoying the comedy stylings of Tweedledumb and Tweedledee," said James, gesturing at where Teddy and Victoire had resumed their favourite place: kissing in the armchair by the fireplace.

"Which one's Tweedledumb?"

"That's like Sophie's Choice. I was very close to practising my beater's skills on them instead of on the pitch."

"Well, at least you're practising them sometime. What are you annoyed at anyway?"

"Nothing. I've decided to prolong the El- the little Goyle plan."

"What? James, why?" whined Fred. "It was so nearly over."

"Teddy made some excellent points on the matter."

"Have you talked to Rose about it? What if she doesn't want to?"

"Please, I saw her this morning. She's having the time of her life."

"I thought we were only going to do this for a week. Don't you think the she-Goyle's learned her lesson by now?"

"It appears the problem is slightly bigger than that."

Fred hesitated. "You do what you want." James started to walk away, but not before he heard Fred mutter to himself. "You always do anyway." James pretended he hadn't heard.

He paced the common room waiting for Rose, making a point not to see Fred watching him from the corner of the room. Unable to explain his newfound determination to salvage the situation, he struggled to rationalise his decision to himself. He mulled over the advice that had been given to him and came up with one undeniable conclusion: he really needed to get some better friends.

It only took about twenty minutes for Rose to arrive, but it seemed like an eternity. However, James had managed to sort himself through his own conundrum: Rose was happy, Scorpius was happy, as was everyone except Elina. The thought of Elina being unhappy caused an ugly, gnawing feeling in his gut, but James was something of an expert when it came to shutting off his feelings. By the time Rose strolled into the common room, he was feeling pretty comfortable with his plan.

"Rosie," he called as she came in, rushing to the Portrait. Rose's face was set, an expression she only wore when she was trying to induce guilt.

"What the hell was wrong with you today? You might want to try being a tad more subtle around Scorpius. And it wouldn't kill you to be polite."

"To that kid? It might."

"The only reason I'm mixed up in this is because I was doing you a favour."

"You're loving it. Going on dates, lapping up his little compliments." He put on a falsetto. "Oh, Rose you're so pretty. Oh Rose, you're so clever. Can I kiss your feet, Rose?"

"You asked me to do this! I'll be done by the end of the week, anyway. Only three more days of this, right?" James could hear the sadness in her tone that she was trying to conceal. He smiled.

"Actually, I thought maybe we could stretch it out a little longer."

"What? No, that wasn't the deal. You said a week!"

"Don't act like you aren't having a ball. Just a few more weeks of being adored and you're done."

"A few more _weeks_?"

"It'll be a breeze! Over before you know it!"

"That's what you said last time. Come on, James, haven't you had enough? Everyone's talking about how she was crying in the bathroom earlier."

"Wasn't that, like, an hour ago? How does gossip spread so fast?"

"Two words: Kat and Tina."

"I hate those girls."

"I think you've done enough, don't you?"

"I was just thinking. If we end things now, everything will end in tears. I mean, if Scorpius just _suddenly _stops loving you, he'll try and get back to Elina, who's obviously still hurting from that extremely public breakup. So what happens then? Scorpius is alone and unhappy, Elina is alone and unhappy, you…well, you're exactly where you started." Rose glowered at him. "So you see? The best solution is to slowly wean Scorpius off the potion over time, so he loves you less and less. Eventually, he'll break up with you and then he'll go back to Elina, after she's had time to lick her wounds. Am I a genius? Yes I am."

"How long is eventually?"

"I think maybe reduce the amount of potion you give him in the next few weeks and wait for him to end things."

"What if he doesn't?" James could almost sense the hope behind the words.

"Don't kid yourself, Rosie. Once he's weaned off, he'll be right back where he started. He'll probably go crawling back to Elina once he's back to normal."

Rose looked down and said nothing. James stood nervously to attention.

"Tell me you're not giving up on me?" He cupped her chin and drew her face upwards so she was forced to meet his eyes. "Come on, Rose. Please?"

"I didn't know it would be like this."

"What do you mean? I saw you two today, you're happy. Nauseatingly happy. All I'm asking you to do is be happy for a few weeks longer."

"I am never doing anything for you ever again."

"Sure." He kissed her on the forehead and walked towards Fred, who was struggling through his charms essay.

"I mean it, James," he heard her say and he flashed her a thumbs up without turning around. Settling down beside his stressed friend, he pulled out his Astronomy Textbook: _A Study of the Night Sky._ Smiling to himself, he settled in for a night of study, content with his plan.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Fred, crossing out several lines of his essay, before giving up completely and throwing the parchment into the fire.

"Just thinking about how great I am."

Fred scoffed and turned back to his essay while James thumbed his way through the book. As much as he tried, he couldn't seem to concentrate on the study of Jupiter's moons; his mind was still focused on Elina.

**Chapter 8- Rose Weasley**

Rose Weasley was in a strange sort of hell. She'd been dating Scorpius Malfoy now for two weeks, but they had seemed interminable. Reducing the amount of potion hadn't seemed to have any kind of effect on him; he was just as in love with her as ever. Every romantic gesture and thoughtful gift was almost like a spike in her chest, especially matched with his earnest, puppy dog-like expression. For the past few days, she'd been making an effort to avoid him, but he kept cropping up everywhere she went: waiting outside her classes, tracking her down in the Great Hall, even waiting outside the Gryffindor common room. Just seeing him set butterflies in her stomach and a violent pain stabbing through her heart.

She loved him. It was one of those truths that couldn't be ignored, the kind that followed her around wherever she went. She was painfully, unabashedly in love with him. It wasn't just because he treated her like royalty, although that probably played a large part in it. He was witty and funny in ways few people she knew were, and genuinely kind and clever as well. Somehow, he managed to make her feel light and bubbly, even though she knew he didn't actually care for her. It was scary how easy that was to forget.

She was seated in the empty Gryffindor common room, staring at the small bottle of Amortentia. It was still almost half full of the pearly liquid and she sloshed it around, making sure she didn't spill a drop. It was a bizarre thought that all the happiness she'd felt over the past couple of weeks was all due to the sweet-smelling liquid in her grip.

"Rose?" Hugo appeared beside her, sitting down in the chair next to her. She rapidly shoved the bottle down the pocket of her jeans, not meeting her brother's eyes.

"Hey, Hugo. What's up?"

"Why are you up here? Shouldn't you be down on the pitch, like everyone else?"

"I was going in a second. The game hasn't started yet, has it?"

"No. Fred can't find his broom, so they've delayed the start of it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"So, come on! We still have time to get down there and not miss the beginning. They make all the best shots in the first half, before they're all tired and injured and stuff."

"Yeah, I guess." Hugo peered at his sister.

"What's wrong? It's the first Quidditch game of the year! You love Quidditch! Are you upset because you didn't get on the team this year?"

"No, I'm over that. Abigail Bell is a much better Chaser than I ever was."

"Dad used to say you were the greatest Chaser he'd ever seen."

"Dad also used to tell Mum she was a great Quidditch player. She barely ever even managed to get her broom off the ground."

Hugo laughed. "Yeah, I remember. You should be excited though! Gryffindor against Slytherin! Your cousins against your boyfriend!" Rose tried to summon an excited expression, but it fell flat.

"You aren't even wearing any colours to support a team!" cried Hugo. He pointed at his scarf, hat and rosette, all of which were bright scarlet and gold. "Who are you supporting? Gryffindor or Slytherin?"

Rose ruffled her brother's hair. "Gryffindor, of course. You know I'm red and gold at heart."

"Perfect." Hugo pulled off his scarf and wrapped it around Rose's neck. "There! Now we can go."

Rose let Hugo drag her down to the Quidditch pitch, which was ablaze with gold, red, green and silver. Thousands of people cheered from the stands, raising banners and posters decorated with intricate emblems of lions eating snakes and vice versa. The uproar from the grounds almost blew Rose and Hugo away. He jumped, surprised, and Rose suddenly remembered that it was Hugo's first real Quidditch match, if you didn't count the family ones they used to hold in the Weasley backyard. She reached down to hold his hand, but he pulled away.

"Rose," he hissed, blushing.

"Oh come on. What's the point of having a big sister if she doesn't embarrass you once in a while?"

"Lils!" Hugo reached up to wave at Lily, who was squeezing away from the crowd to come towards them, dressed entirely in bright red and gold, complete with a gigantic hat in the shape of a lion's head with a ruby-coloured mane. She ran into Rose, almost bouncing with glee.

"Can you believe it? James is going to play! I've heard so much about his Quidditch playing, I can't believe I'm actually going to watch him play! Aren't you excited Hugo?"

Hugo shrugged in an effort to look casual, but his chubby face was glowing under his mop of hair. "Yeah, it's pretty cool."

"Where did you get that hat, Lily?"

Lily beamed. "Do you like it? Lorcan gave it to me."

"Lorcan Scarmander?"

"Yeah! It used to belong to his mother. And look!" She pointed her wand at the hat and tapped it once. It answered by letting out a weak roar. "Apparently, it used to be really loud, but the magic dulled over the years."

"Are you and Lorcan friends?"

"Oh yes, best friends. Did you know his brother is on the Gryffindor team?"

"Yes, I know. He's the seeker."

Hugo meanwhile, looked offended. "I thought I was your best friend."

"Don't be silly. You're my cousin."

Lily dragged a still sulking Hugo up into the stands, with Rose following close behind. They forced their way between the people, nearly being hit by overly enthusiastic spectators waving signs into the air. It seemed that Fred had finally managed to find his broomstick, for the two teams were lined up on the pitch, eyeing each other in trepidation. Her eyes immediately found Scorpius, his gaze focused on the broomstick ahead of him. He looked positively radiant, his blond hair gleaming in the sun, his face glowing with concentration. Rose wished he would look at her, before realising she didn't have to wish; he was probably thinking of her right now. The thought pleased her more than she cared to admit and she rapidly looked away, her eyes finding James this time. He didn't seem focused at all, swinging his bat in one hand and his broom in the other. Messing about, he pretended to hit Fred over the head, making his friend flinch and the coach angry. Mr Wood, the Quidditch coach of Hogwarts and Dylan's father, was standing on the field as well, blowing his whistle. After a successful career as a professional Quidditch player for the Chudley Canons, he'd returned to Hogwarts to teach his skills. He wasn't the best at it, though, far too impatient and irritable to be a good teacher. Even now, he blew his whistle again and again, trying to create a silence that was never coming. When the pitch was quiet enough for his liking, he roared at the players.

"Alright! I want a good proper match! When I blow the whistle, we will release the balls and the game will begin."

A cheer went up and a disgruntled Wood waited for it to die before blowing sharply on his whistle. Four balls shot into the air as the players mounted their brooms and rose upwards. With shrieks of joy, the students rose and waved different coloured banners and Rose heard a familiar voice come ringing out from the commentator's box. She turned to Teddy, who was holding his wand to his throat.

"And so it begins!" he cried and Rose couldn't help but smile as she watched the players fly through the air, craning her neck in an effort to see better. It was true what people said: Scorpius was an exceptional chaser. He danced lightly through the air atop his broom, holding the Quaffle lightly between his fingers, dodging the onslaught of the other Gryffindor Chasers, no matter how they tried to tackle him. He shot through the players, hurling the big red ball through the hoop again and again, always managing to slip it past Dylan. Rose could see Mr Wood getting more and more upset as he watched. Only Kevin Torson managed to score a point for Gryffindor, only because the two other chasers almost cornered Scorpius on one corner of the field. Soon, it was half time, and Teddy shouted out the score, his voice echoing over the screaming crowd: the joy of the Slytherins and the rage of the Gryffindors.

"Slytherin in the lead, sixty points to ten!"

Lily was roaring with the best of them, her hat accompanying her in her screams of anger. Even Hugo was caught up in the emotion, letting out wordless cries into the air. As the players lowered themselves gently to the ground, Wood stormed after the Gryffindor team, presumably to yell at them. James was seething, swinging his bat in thin air and almost clubbing Kevin in the back of the head. With a sigh, she looked away from her losing team and turned towards the frenzy of green and silver. As she watched, Scorpius was lifted onto the shoulders of his team, while the Slytherin seeker, Marion Jerman, sulked in the corner. Her boyfriend's face was lit with the thrill of the sport and it occurred to her that she'd never seen this side of him before. As though he could sense her gaze, he looked up and met her eyes. His smile widened, glittering in the light and he lifted his hand to wave. She smiled back, her eyes fixed to him as he gave her a wink from atop his perch. She was stopped by the piercing sound of a whistle as Teddy introduced the second half of the game: Gryffindor determined and Slytherin overjoyed.

"Matched resumed: Gryffindor 10 points, Slytherin 60 points."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to keep reminding us," muttered Lily unhappily and Rose laughed. Sometimes, Lily reminded her a lot of James.

The game started again, much more violently this time. Players slammed into each other mercilessly, desperate to knock each other off their brooms. Whatever Dylan's father had said to her had worked: he caught the Quaffle three times before it could score again, leading to an uproar of cheers from the Gryffindor House. Soon, Gryffindor had managed to score forty more points, although Slytherin had skyrocketed to one hundred and twenty. Despite the relative aggression of the game, it went rather smoothly until Scorpius was just edging in on his ninth consecutive goal. He posed to aim it through the third hoop when a bludger, heavy and leaden, struck him in the stomach and sent him reeling backwards. He dropped the Quaffle, which was quickly caught by Abigail as she soared beneath him. She managed to score a goal while everyone watched Scorpius concernedly: he was barely clinging to his broom, retching. Rose glanced upward to see her cousin high-five Fred, swinging his bat in a mine of hitting a ball. She felt a flash of rage.

During the rest of the game, Scorpius was struck three more times with the bludgers, each one levelled at him by James. Bruised and bloody, the Chaser stumbled about on his broomstick, using most of his energy to simply remain airborne. Once or twice, players zoomed towards him, presumably to ask if he needed a time out, but he shook them off irritably. Cursing James, Rose wracked her brain to find a way to communicate with her cousin and make him stop. The rest of Gryffindor, however, clearly disagreed. As Teddy recorded the point score rising in Gryffindor's favour, the sea of gold and red became alive with singing and chanting, mainly for James. They leapt up in their seat in excitement as the score read one hundred and fifty to a hundred and thirty to Slytherin, roaring their approval. Lily was jumping with excitement, punctuating each bounce with a cry of "That's my brother! That's my brother!" Even Hugo had joined in, copying Lily by cheering "That's my cousin!"

Rose couldn't help but look away as a fifth bludger collided with Scorpius' ribcage, sending his broom spiralling through the air, its rider clinging for dear life. She forced herself to look, however: she didn't want Scorpius to see her cowering in her seat. Even from a distance, it was clear to see that James was delighted as he swooped in a victory lap of the field.

_Stop it, please stop it, please, James, stop it, _Rose begged silently, but the game went on. As Scorpius righted himself and continued to play, she kept her eyes fixed on James. He crept up behind the Slytherin Chaser, poised in preparation. Rose watched as Fred aimed a bludger at James, realising in horror that they were aiming for a sixth and critical hit. Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and withdrew her wand, levelled in at her cousin and whispered "_Conjunctivitis!_

James stopped confused, and Rose knew his sight had gone dark. He fumbled through the air, but was blind to the bludger Fred had hit directly to him. Disoriented, he swivelled in his broom and Rose saw what was going to happen moments before it did, too late to do anything about it.

The bludger collided with the back of James' head with a sickening crack that reverberated around the pitch. His face registered surprise for a moment before he began to fall, his broom still hovering in the air as the prone form of his body tumbled, almost in slow motion, towards the ground. There was a soft thump as he landed, his body awkwardly angled in the dirt. Rose's entire body was numb: her thoughts were frozen and her body immobile.

The silence of the stands was shattered by Lily's scream, which seemed to fill the entire stadium with its clarity and magnitude. Hugo tried to pull her into a hug, but she wriggled away, still screaming. Rose registered the fact that she should comfort the girl, but she still couldn't move, unable to look away from the disaster she had caused. James was still unmoving when the teachers raced over, Professor McGonagall at their lead.

Rose sprang to her feet and raced down to the pitch, forcing people out of the way as she went, dragging Lily behind her.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she pushed past. "Sorry. That's my cousin down there. Excuse me."

Lily was now sobbing uncontrollably, allowing Rose to pull her along. They soon joined the rapidly growing circle that was forming around the broken body of James Potter, only managing to worm their way to the front because of Lily's ear-splitting cries.

"Sorry," explained Rose as they went. "She's his sister."

James had turned ashen grey, his body twisted unnaturally with a thin sheen of sweat gleaming on his forehead, his black hair stuck to it. Teachers were fussing about him, checking his vital signs as the entirety of the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams watched nervously. Rose could see Fred fighting to get closer, being held off by Professor Finnigan as he struggled. After a few moments, Professor McGonagall straightened, worry in her expression.

"We'll take him to the hospital wing," she informed the teachers, who jumped into action. With a flick of Professor Jones' wand, James was lifted into the air and floated back into the school, a procession of staff behind her. _Please be okay, please be okay, _begged Rose, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. She felt Lily wrap her arms around her waist and ran her fingers through her auburn hair.

"It's okay," she told her, kneeling down beside her cousin. She wrapped her arms around the little girl, feeling her shake against her and let Lily nestle her head into her shoulder. "It'll be fine," she whispered, clutching Lily to her chest as she wept.

…..

The waiting room was undoubtedly the worst part of the hospital wing. Ugly pink wallpaper coated the walls, decorated with tiny white roses, and the walls were lined with uncomfortable plastic chairs. They'd only let a few people wait for James to wake up, but it was still almost filled with people. Fred and Teddy were pacing, making nervous jokes in an effort to alleviate the tension. Hugo was making a desperate attempt to console Lily, who was still bawling hysterically while Lysander sat, staring peaceably into the distance. Dylan and his father were also there, lamenting their loss to the Slytherin team, getting so worked up that the teachers had come in a few times to threaten to kick them out. Rose herself was gnawing at her thumbnail, trying very hard not to think. Scorpius had tried to come in to speak to her a few times, but Mrs Ines, the matron, had kicked him out, telling him James had enough people flapping about him. She wanted to go outside and see him, but she couldn't miss James' awakening.

"Is he going to be okay?" sniffed Lily, her eyes full.

"Oh course he is," answered Rose. "Mrs Ines is one of the best nurses in the country. She'll take good care of him."

"That's what they said about Al." Lily's voice was so quiet that Rose barely heard her, but she got up anyway and wrapped her arms around her cousin. She wished she knew what to say.

Mrs Ines appeared at the doorway. She was a plump, rosy woman with a thick grey bun and a kindly expression.

"His family can come and see him now. Only a few of you though, he's very tired."

"Is he okay?" asked Lily desperately.

"He'll be alright. He's fractured his skull and some of his spine, but we've managed to fix most of his bones. We'll keep him in observation overnight, but he should be fine."

"Thank God." Lily pushed past into the wings and Rose followed close behind, Hugo and Fred close on her heels. They turned into the ward, where James was lying in a clean white bed, his face pale with an ugly greenish tinge. His green eyes were only partly open and he let out a grunt when Lily flung herself onto the bed.

"James! James, I was so scared! Are you okay!"

"Hey Lilipad," he said tiredly, his voice thick with pain "Easy there. I fractured half my body."

"I can't believe you're okay."

"I'm always okay, Lils. That's my job."

"Does it hurt?"

"Barely any anymore, they've got me on so many potions." James looked up and met Rose's eyes, his own flashing. "Hey Rose, could I talk to you alone for a sec?"

"I don't think that's really necess – "

"Sorry, I think I phrased that wrong. What I meant was, I'm talking to you alone Rose. Everyone else, could you step outside for just a moment?"

Mrs Ines looked hesitant. "I'm not sure I should leave you alone."

"Please. Only for a moment, there's something I really need to talk to her about."

The matron relented and led a reluctant Hugo, Fred and Lily down to the waiting room, talking over their protests. Rose tried to exit with them, but she was called back by James' feeble voice. Wincing, she turned back, expecting the worst. One look at his face told her that he knew.

"What is wrong with you, Rose? Why the hell would you do that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop playing, I'm not an idiot. You've been using the Conjunctivitis curse ever since you were old enough to wave a wand and people don't suddenly go blind for no reason. What the hell, Rose? Why?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd get hit, I just thought you'd miss the bludger."

"Why would you do that anyway? We were gaining on them, we could have won!" James let out a sigh of pain as he shifted in the bed, letting his head rest on the pillow.

"I thought it didn't hurt."

"It doesn't," he spat, his face creased in agony. "Give me a bloody reason Rose." Realisation dawned on face. "It was because of Scorpius, wasn't it?"

"You were killing him out there."

"That's my job! I'm the Beater, I'm supposed to knock the Chasers off their brooms. Are you unclear on the entire point of Quidditch?"

"You weren't going after anyone else."

Rose was glad that James was bed-ridden. He looked as though he could have hit her. "That's the point! He's the only Slytherin Chaser actually worth anything. McLaggen and Perkins couldn't catch a Quaffle if it was sitting on them."

"You were trying to hurt him."

"I was trying to win!"

"I'm sorry okay! I know, I messed up and if I could take it back, I would."

"Oh really? What tipped you off? The crack in my skull or the fact that half the bones in my back are broken?" James tried to turn away but he was held in place by the pain in his body.

"James, I don't know what to say. I'm so, so sorry."

"Save it, Rose. You remember you aren't actually dating him, don't you? He doesn't care about you at all."

"I know you're mad at me…"

"You mean absolutely nothing to him without that potion, you know. You're nothing but some girl he barely knows. Once he goes back to Elina, he won't even think about you anymore. So don't bother getting attached to him."

"I'm not attached to him."

"Yeah, sure. Before you go knocking out any more family members remember that you are nothing to him, understand? Just some girl who forced love potion down his throat."

Rose knew the tone of voice James was using: he was trying to hurt her. She walked over, her face carefully expressionless, and dropped a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you James. Feel better."

She swung the curtains open and stalked out, leaving a sulky and pained James behind her. Returning to the waiting room, she was almost ploughed over by Lily.

"What did he say? Is he alright?"

"He's fine, Lils. You saw him. I think he just wants to sleep."

Lily sighed contentedly and leaned back against Hugo, who was also looking drawn with worry. Her attention turned to Dylan, who'd been left alone by his father. That didn't stop his rant.

"Just my luck. Just my ruddy luck! Ten minutes is all we would have needed, and we could have won or at least tied. But no!"

"It's just one Quidditch match," Rose told him. "Isn't it better that no one's seriously injured?"

Dylan just looked at her. "Now I remember why you aren't on the team anymore."

At that moment, Mr Wood burst into the waiting room, annoyed. "They still can't find that stupid snitch. They've tried every summoning spell there is and nothing's happened."

Lysander snapped from his reverie. "This snitch?" he asked, holding out his hand. Encased in his grip was the little golden ball, fluttering its wings wildly, struggling desperately to escape. Dylan's eyes widened.

"When…when did you catch that?"

"In the first ten minutes. We were just having such a good game, I didn't want to cut it short."

Dylan looked as though he didn't know whether to kiss Lysander or punch him. After a moment of indecision, he threw his arms around the seeker, almost lifting him in the air. Lysander looked startled.

"You beautiful little freak! We won!" He gestured around the room. "You guys are all witnesses! Gryffindor wins the match!"

He began to perform an odd, jerky victory dance around the waiting room, accompanied with a disjointed chant of "We won! We won! We won, we won, we won!"

Mr Wood, however, was staring at Lysander. "They're out there casting summoning spells. Didn't you feel it pull away from you?"

"Well, yes. I just thought it was rebelling."

"Rebelling?"

"Well, yes. You know, many snitches aren't very pleased with lives of imprisonment. That's why they're so hard to catch on the field. They're just so excited to be free."

The coach looked perplexed. "You know they aren't…they aren't conscious."

"Of course they are! All of the Quiddich balls are. How else they be able to communicate with the players?"

"Communicate? What are you talking about? No, you've got the wrong idea. Let me explain to you how the Quiddich enchantment system works…"

Rose was pulled away from the escalating debate when the door opened a crack and Scorpius peered around. He beckoned Rose towards him and she snuck away. Not that anyone noticed: Lysander was now talking to the snitch, telling it that Wood simply didn't understand it. When Rose was safely out in the corridor, Scorpius led her to a secluded area of the corridor before he flung his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Of course, I'm fine. I'm not the one who got smacked in the head with a bludger."

"Right. I mean, is James okay?"

"He's alright, I guess. They're keeping him overnight, but his bones are healing. What about you, are you okay?" She reached up and touched his nose; it had broken when a bludger had hit it, and although it had been fixed, blood was still seeping from it. He touched her hand on his face.

"Don't you worry about me. A couple of bruises, a fractured rib, a broken nose…all in a day's work."

"Come here." She drew her wand, and in a few moments, the bruises and blood had vanished. When she'd finished, he kissed her.

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Apparently, a lot." He looked confused and for some reason she felt the need to explain. It was strangely freeing to know he would love her no matter what she did; knowing that made her unable to keep her mouth shut. "I couldn't…I couldn't keep seeing him hurt you."

"That's part of being a Chaser. You know that." He kissed her again, just a light brush of her lips. "I love you for caring though."

"No, you don't understand. I jinxed him so he'd miss the bludger. I didn't know he'd turn around that way, I just thought it would sail right past him. I just wanted him to stop hurting you." Scorpius was looking at her as though he'd never seen her before. "I know. I know, I didn't mean to. I wasn't thinking."

"You did that for me?" he asked, shocked. The smile that lit his face seemed to glow almost from inside him. "That's incredible."

Rose couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"I can't believe you would do that for me. You're so…you're just so extraordinary."

"Scorpius, I don't think you're hearing me right. I blinded him."

"Because you thought we were doing the right thing. It's okay, Rose, I understand. You would never do anything to harm anyone."

Rose felt an unexplainable flash of anger. "I did though. He's in the hospital wing because of me."

"You would never do anything like that on purpose. I know you, Rose."

_That's the thing though, _thought Rose, _you don't_. It took a moment for Rose to register the situation, but when she did, it hit her solidly. She could have murdered James in cold blood and Scorpius would still have thought she was the most perfect person ever to grace the planet. She wasn't harmlessly making him happy; she'd robbed him of his ability to think for himself, to create his own opinions, even to judge as she saw fit. Rose had never been more disgusted with herself in her entire life. She broke away from Scopius, who looked wistful and hurt.

"Where are you going? I thought we could celebrate the Slytherin victory. You know, to get your mind off your cousin for a bit."

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet." She looked at him thoughtfully and thought of the potion in her pocket. She was due to give him another dose before tomorrow, but she kept to bottle safely in its place. Suddenly, she didn't want to give it to him anymore. Not ever. "There's something I have to do quickly."

"I'll miss you."

"Not for long," she replied sadly, wondering how long it would take for the potion to wear off. She hoped it wouldn't take too long. Giving a quick kiss on the cheek, she travelled back to the hospital wing with quick, determined steps. She had to tell James she was out of the plan. He wouldn't be happy, she knew, but there wouldn't be anything he could do. When she opened the door, she jumped when she found herself face to face with Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Weasley!" exclaimed the Headmistress, startled.

"Oh, sorry Professor. I just wanted to see my cousin."

"Mr Potter has just been put down to rest. Mrs Ines has just kicked everyone out of the waiting room."

"Can I just go in and see him for a few minutes?"

"I suppose so." The Professor shook her head. "That boy's a Potter all right."

"What do you mean?"

"His father was in the hospital wing after more Quiddich matches than I can count. It seems he was never on a broom without it being jinxed, or him being attacked by a bludger or chased away by Dementors…well, I suppose the last one wasn't really his fault."

"Uncle Harry never told us those stories."

"Yes, well, I suppose they weren't the most exciting things that ever happened to him. Quite a life your uncle had, I must say. He certainly kept things interesting." Professor McGonagall quickly ended her trip down memory lane. "You'd better make it quick, Miss Weasley. I imagine your cousin wants to rest."

With a quick mumble of thanks, Rose slipped into the hospital wing and crept into James' room. Fortunately, she didn't run into Mrs Ines, who she was fairly sure would have stopped her. When she found James, he was lying at an awkward angle, his eyes tightly closed. Deciding to wait until later, she turned to exit, but was stopped by James' voice.

"Rosie? Is that you?" His words were slow and sluggish, heavily drugged.

She turned to kneel beside his bed, brushing his hair out his eyes. "Hey James. Listen, there's something I need to say…"

"No," he rasped, grabbing her wrist, trying to fix his wild, unfocused eyes on her.. "Me first. Listen, Rosie, I know you didn't mean for me to get pushed off. I'm sorry I got so upset."

"No! No, you had every right…"

He shushed her clumsily. "No, no, let me finish. I know you do so much for me. And I know you only do it because you think you have to take care of me since Al died. But I really do appreciate the things you do. Especially," he tried to drop his voice, but his whisper was just as loud as his full-volume speech, "what you're doing with Scorpius. I know you didn't want to and I talked you into it."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Fred was right, you know. He's a lucky guy." He was slowly drifting off and Rose desperately wanted to get the words out, but somehow she couldn't.

"James, I…"

"And you know what?" His voice was fading away. "You remember what you said earlier? Well, I do to."

"You do what?"

He laughed sleepily. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? You are such a girl."

"What are you talking about?"

"I love you too," he murmured, rolling over onto his side. "Thank you for doing this for me, Rosy-Posy."

She watched him sleep for a few moments, watching the easy rise and fall of his chest and the small smile across his pale face. Sighing, she got to her feet.

"You said you wouldn't call me that," she whispered, more to herself than to him. Taking the jug of pumpkin juice on his bedside table, she poured it into a small empty bottle she carried about with her before adding a few drops of Amortentia, watching it slowly sink into the perfumed orange liquid. She watched it for a moment, feeling slightly sick as she capped the bottle again and pushed it to the bottom of her robes.

"The things I do for you, James Potter," she said, part affectionately part unhappily. Her fingers clenched around the bottle in her pocket, she strode off to find Scorpius, not looking back at the boy sleeping peacefully behind her.

**Chapter 9- Fred Weasley**

"Teddy! Hey, Teddy!" Fred chased after his friend, who was walking down to the Great Hall with Victoire on his arm, who'd clearly been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, her chin still wobbling slightly.

"Fred! Oh Fred, isn't it horrible!" She threw her arms around his neck and almost collapsed against him, sending Fred stumbling backwards. He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, widening his eyes in a panic at Teddy, who simply shrugged.

"They've already released him, Vick. I just went by the hospital wing, and they let him go this morning. I was actually just going to ask Teddy…"

"They wouldn't let me see him!" she cried dramatically, not finished with her scene. "I begged and pleaded, but they wouldn't let me in. Said he was 'sleeping.'" She drew quotation marks in the air.

"I- I think he _was_ sleeping."

"I am his blood relative! I should be allowed to see him whenever I want!"

"They let relatives in to see him just after he was admitted. Where were you?"

Victoire drew back, looking affronted. "I was…collecting myself. It was a very traumatic moment, you know."

"Er…yes, I'm sure. Teddy, could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," he started to say, but Victoire cut him off with a forced smile.

"But Teddy Bear, it's lunchtime! You don't want to be late, do you?"

"I'm sorry, my angel, but I'm sure this is very important. I'll come and see you later, alright?"

Victoire pouted. "But you promised we'd spend more time together!"

"We will, my sweet. I'll make it up to you, I swear."

Still sulking, she made her way to the Great Hall as Teddy and Fred strolled through the corridors.

"Seriously, mate," said Fred, his eyebrows raised. "Whipped much?"

"Wait until you fall in love, you'll understand."

"Well, if you start loving her anymore, your transition into a lapdog will be complete."

"Hey, now. You're starting to sound like James."

"Speaking of James, that's what I came to talk to you about."

"Really? How is he?"

"I wouldn't know. He hasn't been to any of his classes all day, and Mrs Ines released him this morning. No one's seen him anywhere."

"It's James. He might have nipped out to Hogsmead or gone to visit Grawp or be harassing first years somewhere. He'll turn up, he always does."

"I don't know, Ted. He's been acting weird lately, don't you think?"

"He's James. When isn't he acting weird?"

"Teddy, I'm serious. This whole Goyle thing, the way he's been acting lately…he's acting a bit like…"

"Like when Al died?"

Fred nodded, swallowing hard. "Well...yeah."

"I was afraid you might say that. He was getting so much better as well, he hasn't had an episode in so long.

"I thought it might finally be over." Teddy sighed. "I also figured he might like the Goyle girl and that maybe that upset him as well."

"There's more than that going on here."

"You think he likes her too?"

"Please. He's practically in love with that girl, a blind man could see that. But it's more than that. He's all sharp and twisted and on edge, just like he used to be. Don't you remember?"

"How could I forget?" Teddy shook his head, pushing his hands low in his pockets. "Worst few months of my life. That poor kid."

"Poor James as well. I'm going to go looking for him, yeah?"

Fred started to walk away before he heard Teddy's audible sigh. Turning, Fred watched as Teddy made his way towards him with a roll of his eyes.

"Vicks is never going to forgive me for this," he exhaled.

"Are you going to help me look for him?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a wonderful friend. You check the grounds and I'll check his favourite haunts of the castle, deal?"

"Deal." Happily, he smacked Teddy on the back and raced down to the grounds, pulling open the door to search the vast expanse of land around the castle. He searched through the Quidditch pitch, examining the paddocks of wild animals, even stopping in to see Grawp before he paused, stumped. After a moment of reflection, it suddenly struck Fred where James must be and he sprinted down to the side of the lake, his red hair flopping into his eyes as he ran. It didn't take him long to find James, sitting morosely by the lake with a bottle of Firewhisky and his head in his hands. Fred looked at him for a few seconds before settling himself beside his friend, who didn't look up.

"I thought you'd stopped coming here," remarked Fred, after a while. James lifted his head only to slug some Firewhisky, before resuming his previous position.

"So did I."

"You should stop drinking that stuff. It'll kill you."

James set the bottle down in the grass beside him. "We all have to die of something, don't we?"

"What is it? Your head still hurt?"

"I wouldn't know. I couldn't feel the cruciatus curse at this point."

"I'd be happy to test that theory," joked Fred, but James didn't laugh, instead choking on another sip of alcohol. Fred took advantage of the moment to seize the bottle.

"Hey!" said James, trying to sound indignant before settling back in the grass, his head propped up in his hands.

"Do you want me to get someone for you? I know Teddy's sort of hopeless in these situations, but I could get Rose or even Victoire."

"I don't want anyone."

"So tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong? Why would anything possibly be wrong? My cup runneth over, can't you tell?"

James rose unsteadily to his feet and Fred shot up to support him. "Whoa there," he said as he held his friend upright. "This is why you're not meant to drink before noon."

Laughing, James tried to move away, but would have fallen had Fred not rushed to catch him.

"Hey Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"Be honest. This Malfoy-Rose-Elina plan. It isn't going to end well, is it?"

Fred didn't know what to say. "You don't know that."

"Well, sure I do. I knew it from the beginning, but I carried on anyway. Do you know why?"

"Because you want to watch the world burn?"

"Because I didn't care."

Fred decided that he should probably shut his friend up, before he said anything he was going to regret. "Okay, James. Listen, I'm going to take you to see Grawp, and you're going to rest up for a bit, okay? Sleep it off."

"Okay," slurred James benignly. Fred looked at the bottle of Firewhisky for a few seconds before taking a long drink, wincing slightly as the liquid burned his throat. Then, he lifted the half empty bottle and flung it into towards the shining lake. Before it hit the surface of the water, a thin green arm reached from the water and grabbed it, pulling it under. James didn't even seem to register it, slumped against his friend's shoulder.

"Come on, buddy," said Fred, his voice strained from the effort of supporting James. The two of them stumbled as they made their way towards Grawp's hut, leaning heavily on each other as they went.

…..

When James was safely curled up in a very confused Grawp's bed, Fred made his way back up to the castle. He knew he should go find Teddy, but he didn't want to search the castle so he drew his wand.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" he cast, thin silver fibres forming as he thought of the feeling of soaring on his broom. With a pale silvery light, the fibres formed together into his Patronus, a small glowing seal with big doleful eyes. He knelt down beside it, letting it come up and try to nuzzle him.

"I need you to go and find Teddy and tell him that James is safely in the Grawp Hut, so he can go back to worshipping the ground Victoire walks on. Oh! Also, can you tell him that he needs to take a look at my Charms essay later?" The Patronus let out a little squeal and clambered away, glinting in the light as it slid away. Fred watched it go with affection.

"I love that little guy," he said to himself, strolling back into the castle towards the Great Hall. He settled down at the end of the table, next to a very unhappy Victoire.

"Teddy's coming!" said Fred exasperatedly, annoyed by Victoire's glare. She let out a high-pitched huff, crossing her arms across her chest. Hearing a sigh, he turned to see Rose settling in beside him, also pouting.

"Not you as well. Is anyone here in a good mood?" he asked as he filled his plate with golden chicken legs, thick white rolls and hearty salad. He was just about to tuck in when Rose grabbed his arm.

"Where's James?"

"In recovery mode. I wouldn't disturb him if I were you, I don't think he's in the best of moods. Splitting your skull has a tendency to have that effect on people."

"Damn. Okay, in that case I need to talk to you."

"Now?" moaned Fred, a chicken leg frozen partway to his mouth.

"Yes. Come on, it'll only take a minute."

"But…but food!"

"It'll still be here when you get back. " He grudgingly followed her into a corner of the Great Hall, chicken leg in tow.

She glanced at him in annoyance. "Do you ever stop eating?"

"You're cutting into my food time, Rosie. Make it quick."

"I'm out of the plan, Fred."

It took Fred a moment to place what she was talking about. "Well, good for you. I always said you could back out at any time if you weren't comfortable. What do you need me for?"

"Advice. How can I tell him without him, you know, destroying me?"

"You're family, just tell him the truth. I'm sure somewhere deep down, he's a normal, rational human being." He paused. "Well, he's a human being."

"I tried that."

"What happened?"

"He told me he loved me." Rose caught sight of the disgusted look Fred was sporting. "No! Ew, gross, no! Not in that way."

"Oh thank god."

"Urgh, Fred." She shuddered. "No, no, no. Anyway, I just figured I'd give you a little heads up in case James is in a bad mood for a little while. I don't really have to deal with him."

"You know, Rosie, I could always tell him for you." Fred heard the words before he was conscious of saying them, but he didn't mind. Rose had always been his favourite cousin, mainly because she was the least insane of the bunch, and he had always prided himself on being there when she needed him. Now, however, she simply shook her head.

"No. It's sweet of you to offer, but I made this mess myself and I'm going to clean it up. If James isn't happy, that's his problem."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I was stupid to do this whole thing. Never let me do anything like this ever again, okay?"

"You shouldn't have agreed in the first place."

"Thanks, Fred. That's some really helpful advice you've given me. Thank heavens you were here," she said dryly. Then she sighed. "I'm glad this whole thing will finally be over."

"So am I."

"I take it that today isn't the right day to tell him though?"

"You'd just be adding insult to injury. Also, I can't guarantee he won't jinx you for it."

"I could take him any day."

"I'm sure you could. Was that all you needed? Because I am starving." Fred took another bite of his chicken leg, which was warm and delicious. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, go back to your love. I'm going back to the common room, I have more homework than you can imagine."

"Hey! I'm two years older. I have tons more homework than you."

"Yes, but Teddy does all your work."

"Shh, child. You know not of which you speak."

Fred made his way back into the common room, where he found his plate still laden with food and Victoire still angry next to him.

"Teddy isn't here yet," she said in a clipped tone. Fred ignored her and devoured the meal in front of him, thinking of Rose sitting alone in the empty common room, struggling with how to explain her feelings to James. There were days when he really hated James Potter.

…..

It was almost nightfall when James found his way back to the common room, a little worse for wear but relatively sober. Fred watched as he crashed his way through the Portrait hole, snapping at a few noisy first year sitting by the door. He stood up to greet his friend, thinking better of it when he saw James push a third year boy completely off his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose get to her feet and walk towards James.

"Bad idea," said Fred under his breath, turning back to the impossible essay stretched out before him. Teddy had given him a plan, complete with quotes, footnotes, a mindmap and several draft paragraphs, but he couldn't seem to get started. Giving up with a sigh, he looked up to watch Rose, who was desperately trying to get a very hungover James to talk to her.

"James, please, this is important."

"Unless the next words that come out of your mouth are 'I have a magical potion to cure a hangover', I don't want to hear it."

"But…"

"Shh!" James covered Rose's mouth with his hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going upstairs to burrow under my covers and pray for death. Do not wake me unless the castle is on fire. Actually, even then, just let me burn."

James stumbled his way up the stairs, blindly forcing unsuspecting students out of them way. Rose let out a soft sigh and flopped down into an armchair, burying her head in one of the enormous books that rested on her lap. He thought about getting up and talking to her but he didn't think he was the person she wanted to talk to. He was still looking at her when Teddy made his way over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"How's it coming?" he asked looking at the notes he'd left for his friend. "Have you gotten to the part about the Burning of the Witches yet?"

"Almost."

"What does almost mean?"

"I've almost finished the title. I'm torn between 'A critical analysis of Magical History' and 'Wizardry through the Ages.'"

"The essay's on Marie Balcoin."

"Who?"

"Marie Balcoin? You know, the French sorceress, who invented the cruciatus curse? You know the one who…" Tedy saw Fred's blank look. "Where's your _'A History of Magic'_?"

"Um…."

"You lost it didn't you?"

"I did not lose it! It is safely exactly where I left it." Fred paused and thought. "In the secret room under the bust of Albus Dumbledore."

"You aren't going to finish this essay without it."

Fred leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Can't I just do this tomorrow? Or better yet, you could do it for me."

"I would, but I'm too busy writing your astronomy essay," said Teddy, his eyebrows cocked.

"Can't I just use your textbook?"

"I don't take History of Magic."

"Seriously? How come you know all this stuff then?"

"From doing your homework." Teddy grabbed Fred and pulled him to his feet. "Get down there and get that book, okay?"

"Teddy…"

"Move it! Come on, it's NEWT year and this essay is half your grade for this term."

With a sigh, Fred heaved himself to his feet and made his way down to the second floor. He hated the castle in the evenings; it was too echoing and empty and he always felt as though he shouldn't be there. Thanks to James, Fred was no stranger to being places he shouldn't be, but somehow he'd never gotten used to it. Even though students were allowed out of the common room at this time, he still felt uncomfortable. He was so distracted as he walked that he didn't see the student right in front of him until they collided painfully, both of them sent backwards.

"Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry," muttered Fred as he pulled the student up. It was a blonde Slytherin girl he vaguely recognised, someone named Gemma or Jade or something similar.

"It was my fault," she said as she brushed herself off, not meeting his eyes. Glancing at her face, Fred noticed her face was pinched and pick, her big brown eyes rimmed with red.

"You're crying," he remarked rather stupidly. She sniffed, still looking away.

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry I nearly knocked you over." She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.

_What are you doing, Fred? _he asked himself, but he spoke anyway. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, I told you."

"Jenna!" roared a voice from up the stairs. Fred looked up to see Vincent Goyle, leaning over the railing, his loud voice booming. Fred suddenly remembered the girl's name: Jenna Dolohov.

"Yes, Vince?" she asked wearily.

"Did you get my books and things?"

"Not yet. I'm working on it, okay? I had…"

"Can you get them now? I left them in the library, okay? Just bring them to the common room."

"Can't you get them yourself?"

"I'm going to a potions study session. Come on, Jen."

"Fine," she grumbled. Vincent Goyle flashed a rare smile, which settled in its usual scowl in a matter of seconds when he caught sight of Fred.

"Weasley," he spat.

"Goyle," replied Fred, trying to match his venom.

"Watch out, Jen. You don't want to go near Weasleys. They're tricky with their little…" Vincent struggled to find another word, "tricks."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Fred firmly.

"I'm talking about your pretty little cousin Ruth."

"Rose."

Vincent scoffed. "Like I care." His plump face tried to wink, but his eyes were too small for it to be a noticeable gesture. "Remember my stuff, Jen."

He disappeared up the stairs, leaving his girlfriend alone with Fred at the bottom of the stairs. As Fred glanced at her, she collected herself neatly.

"Alright then. It was nice running into you," she said primly, starting to walk past him again.

"You shouldn't let him treat you like that." _What? _Fred yelled at himself privately _Why would you say that, why? _Jenna just looked at him, her eyes big and round. At that moment, she reminded him inexplicably of his Patronus.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you shouldn't put up with that jerk."

She smiled a little sadly. "Yeah, I know I shouldn't. And yet I do."

"Why?"

Raising her eyebrows, she let out a small surprised laugh. "I don't even know you."

Feeling brave, he stretched out his hand to shake hers. "Fred Weasley. It's a pleasure."

"I know who you are. We were in a few classes before, remember?"

"Yeah, I do. Now seriously, what do you see in that guy?"

To his own surprise, Fred found himself sounding rather like James. He wondered if he should reign that in before he became sarcastic and arrogant and all that. Even Jenna looked taken aback.

"I don't know. He can be nice, I suppose."

"Really? I've known his seven years and in all that time I've never known him to be even remotely nice."

"I guess you don't know him like I do."

"Maybe."

'I should go pick up my books. Well, Vincent's books."

"I could do it."

Jenna looked up. "What?"

"I could do it. I mean, it's on the way, it's no trouble. I can bring them down to the Slytherin common room for you if you like."

"That's sweet, but I should get them myself. If anyone else brings them to him, he'll get upset." The laugh that sprung from her was so surprising that Fred almost jumped. "You're right, you know. He is a jerk," she said, sounding amazed at her own voice.

"I assumed that was just common knowledge by now. So why are you with him then?"

"He's easy to keep," she answered honestly. Fred frowned.

"By you lugging about doing his chores? He should be paying you, not dating you."

Jenna gave him an odd look. "Well, thanks. I think."

"Well, I should get going. My essay on Marie Balcoin isn't going to write itself."

"The French sorceress? Isn't she incredible? She invented all of the Unforgiveable Curses, except the Killing Curse of course. One of the greatest witches in history."

"Okay, serious, how does everyone know this?"

"Most people listen in class."

"I listen!" exclaimed Fred, mock hurt.

"I still haven't forgotten the way you used to cheat off me in second year astronomy."

"Well, I haven't forgotten the way you used to tell on me."

"Says the cheater."

"Says the snitch," Fred shot back, smiling. Jenna bit her lip.

"I really should get going," she said. "It was nice talking to you, Fred Weasley."

"Yeah, you too."

He watched her walk away for a second, turning away in an alarmingly obvious manner when she glanced back at him. Feeling his neck burn bright red, he kept walking down to the statue of Albus Dumblefore to collect his book, still thinking of Jenna's round brown eyes.

**Chapter 10- Elina Goyle**

"Very good, Miss Goyle," sniffed Professor Zabini, stirring the silvery-blue liquid in her cauldron. "Perfect in fact." He turned to address the class. "Everyone! Come and see Miss Goyle's Draught of Peace. This is how it should appear."

The class grudgingly circled around Elina's cauldron, looking judgingly at her potion.

"One sip of this will calm even the most volatile of tempers. Perhaps you should look into it, Mr Thomas."

Robin Thomas had gotten so frustrated during the potions lesson that he'd thrown his cauldron clear across the room, splattering the unusually orange concoction he'd created all over Eliza Brawn. She was currently at the hospital wings, with bulbous purple pustules covering her face and hands. Robin was currently seething quietly, his arms and legs crossed.

"Very good work, Miss Goyle. I want everyone else to practise this over the next few weeks, it comes up very commonly in the OWLs. Try not to hospitalise anyone this time Mr Thomas. Class dismissed."

Elina started to pack up her things as Professor Zabini made a final sweep of the room, glancing into Rose Weasley's cauldron.

"Good work as well, Miss Weasley. Not quite perfect, but close."

"_Not quite perfect, but close,"_ mimicked Elina quietly to herself as she collected her stuff. As she tipped her cauldron out into the empty bottle she'd brought, Lysander came up next to her.

"Well done today," he said happily.

"Thanks. How did you go?"

He held out his cauldron, which was filled with a thick pink potion. "I made my own draught. I invented it myself."

"I'm impressed. What does it do?"

"It should convince Mr Wood once and for all that the Quidditch balls are actually alive."

"Are you still on that?"

"He'll see the truth." Lysander reached into his pocket and drew out a small flask, which he filled with the pink liquid. Holding it up to the light, he watched it glimmer for a moment.

"If you're quite finished admiring your own work, Mr Scarmander, your next class awaits," snapped Professor Zabini, as he swept up some scattered powdered Griffin claw with a swish of his wand. Elina slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way towards the door before Professor Zabini called her back.

"Wait, Miss Goyle."

"Yes sir?" The professor held out a small bottle, reaching it out towards her. "Oh, sorry Professor, that isn't mine."

"I know that. It was under Miss Weasley's desk, I assume she dropped it. Please return it to her when you see her next."

"Sure." Elina took the vial from the teacher and slipped it into her pocket beside her own potion, waiting by the door for a few moments for Lysander, who was safely tucking his own potion deep into the folds of his robes. Catching the glare Professor Zabini was giving him, he scurried out the door to catch up with Elina, who was shaking her head.

"Zabini really doesn't like you, does he?"

"Do you think so? I wonder why."

"It's a mystery," she quipped, but Lysander nodded seriously.

"Yes. I have a theory that it's because of what my mother wrote on potions teachers in _The Quibbler_."

"Your mother writes for the Quibbler?"

"Oh yes. My grandfather did, and Lorcan and I will as well someday. It's been run in our family for generations."

"So, what did she say about potions teachers?"

"Well, you see, they're all frustrated Death Eaters. Potions is the most closely linked subject to the dark arts, you know. There's this theory that…what's that?"

Lysander gestured at the small glass bottle that Elina was examining. "Zabini just gave it to me. It belongs to Weasley."

"What do you suppose is inside?"

"Some sort of medicine, I guess? I mean her cousin did just fall off his broom. I heard he was nearly paralysed."

"That's why they shouldn't let bludgers play when they're in a bad mood."

Elina uncapped the vial and sniffed its contents, pulling a face at the sickly sweet smell. She handed it to Lysander, who dipped his finger into the potion before Elina could stop him.

"Lysander, don't!" she exclaimed, but he pulled his finger out unharmed.

"What?" he asked, bemused.

"You shouldn't just touch potions if you don't know what they are. Look at what happened to Eliza Brawn today." She scoffed. "Although I doubt Rose Weasley walks about with dangerous potions lurking in her pocket."

"That depends on your perspective, I suppose. Some people say that this is the most dangerous potion in the world."

"What do you mean?"

"It's Amortentia."

"What?"

"Amortentia. You know, the love potion. Here, try again and see what you smell."

Elina took a second sniff. "It smells like mint. And some strange flowery thing."

"Mint and lavender actually. Who do you know with that particular smell?"

"I don't know, Ly. I don't walk around sniffing everyone in the school. Who smells like that then?"

"Rose Weasley."

Elina gaped at him for a second. "So…whoever drinks this would fall madly in love with Rose Weasley?"

"Well, not in love per se. The only creature that can actually create love is the tanglesnort, but they're atrociously difficult to catch in the wild. But if you were to drink it, you'd become obsessed with her, that's for sure. I'd personally advise against it."

Elina wasn't listening. She was too busy seething, holding the potion clutched in her hand. "That lying sneaking little bitch – "

"I'm sorry, I'm not following," interrupted Lysander mildly.

"That scheming little witch drugged my boyfriend to steal him away from me," she spat, rage spiralling in her chest. Her fists clenched, her nails digging painfully into the palm of her hand. Lysander saw her shaking with rage and put his hand on her shoulders, holding her steady.

"Easy there. I'm sure there's an explan…"

"No!" She forced Lysander's hands off her shoulders, snarling. "I just…I don't believe this. And just when I was so ready to forgive her, to be so understanding because it wasn't her fault. Just when I was starting to let him go…"

"It's okay, Elina. It's all okay."

There was no calming down. Anger was a beast raging inside her, and as much as she tried to supress it, it took over. A scream was poised at the back of her throat, but she choked it back. Tears of fury and sadness burned in her eyes, but she didn't even notice.

"I knew I was right about her. I knew he would never do something like that to me. And they've been strutting about, like they're so _happy, _like such a _perfect_ couple. Meanwhile, she was drugging him stupid so he chased after her like some groupie at a Cauldron Queens Concert."

Without warning, Lysander grabbed her and held her steady. "I'm terribly sorry about this," he said, his voice light. "However, I do believe you'll thank me later." Moving like lightning, he prised open her mouth and tipped something into her mouth. She choked, but some of the liquid managed to slip down her throat before she could spit it out. It was smooth and sweet, a similar taste to toffee. Lysander backed away before she could push him off.

"What the hell did you just do to me?"

"It's your Draught of Peace. I took it from your pocket while you were panicking." Lysander's voice was perfectly calm, his face relaxed.

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"Just breathe. It'll take effect in a second."

"What is with everyone and drugging people around here?" she asked under her breath, but she could feel the potion working. The tense muscles in her back and shoulders unknotted, her breathing settled and the ire bubbling in her blood slowly seeped away. Suddenly, she slumped back, all the energy drained from her body.

"Whoa there. I think your potion might work a little too well."

Elina slid down the wall until she was sitting. "You can go if you want," she told him exhaustedly. "I don't want to make you late for class."

"Don't be silly. It's not like we learn anything important anyway."

"Because of some great educational conspiracy?"

"Of course."

She slid her head into her hands, her shoulders rising and falling gently. "I'm so tired of this, Ly. I'm so tired of hating Scorpius and Rose and everyone else in the damn world."

"Then stop."

"You say that like it's so easy. You've never hated anything, have you?"

"That's not strictly true. I hate broccoli. And pecans."

Elina let out a tired giggle before resuming her straight face. "Why would she do this? She never expressed any interest in him before, or me for that matter. She always seemed so nice, even after Scorpius chased after her."

"Don't you feel a little better? At least you know he really did love you. He had no choice in the matter."

"Oh, no, Scorpius and I were never in love. It's just…it's the principle, you know?

"At least he didn't truly want to leave you."

"I know I should feel better. But I don't. I don't feel anything."

"That would be the potion. It'll wear off in time."

"It'll be worse then." She let her head rest against Lysander's shoulder, his shoulder-length fair hair brushing uncomfortably against her face. "I hate everyone sometimes. It's like this bubble of anger that won't go away. But this thing with Weasley…it's been some of the worst weeks of my life. But I thought it was okay, because I had closure and I could move on. But now…why would she do this to me?"

"People are strange sometimes."

"You don't understand. No one could, I suppose. Well, no one except…" _James Potter. _Elina thought the words but couldn't bring herself to say them

"You're a tough girl," Lysander told her. "Think of how hard these past two weeks have been. Now that you know, you can help Scorpius."

"Scorpius," snorted Elina. Suddenly, she sat up straight, her head colliding solidly with Lysander's. "_Scorpius," _she said with such force that Lysander bolted upright, concerned.

"What is it?"

"I didn't think about him. She's cheating him as well. I have to tell him what she's doing to him, before he's trapped as her little love slave forever." She tried to get to her feet, but the room swirled around her and she fell back into her seated position again.

"Watch out. You took a pretty heavy dose of peace potion."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Listen, Elina, I wouldn't go bursting in on Scorpius, especially when he's under the influence of Amortentia. It can make a person reckless, even dangerous…"

"Scorpius wouldn't hurt me."

"He isn't Scorpius right now."

"All the more reason to tell him. I can't watch her do this to him. Rose Weasley may be a conniving parasite but she's very clever. She's probably had this planned for months."

"Just do me a favour, okay? Wait until tonight. Breathe through today, try and think this through, make sure this is what you want to do. Remember, you have the Amortentia now…the potion will wear off and the problem might just go away by itself."

"What if it doesn't? She probably has vats of spare potion decorating her dormitory. She's ruined my life for long enough, Lysander. It's time I did something about it."

"I trust you, Elina. Whatever you chose to do. I hope it turns out well."

He got up and helped Elina to her feet. When she was steady, she hugged him tightly. "Why are you so great?" she asked him sleepily. She felt almost completely relaxed and peaceful. Even the thought of Rose couldn't seem to rile her; the emotion was more of a dull, cold hatred.

"I learn from the best. Will you be alright to get to class?"

"Sure, of course. Just, next time you shove something in down my throat, I want dinner and a movie first."

Elina sluggishly made her way towards the greenhouse for her Herbology lesson, listening to the sound of Lysander laughing behind her.

…

As the potion wore off during the course of the day, any illusion of peace was irreparably shattered, leaving behind a thick haze of anger. It was fortunate that neither Scorpius nor Rose were in any of her classes for the rest of the day, as she doubted she could have controlled herself. It already took extraordinary amounts of willpower not to kick the wall during her classes, and she set the raven she was trying to silence on fire in charms. Not that Professor Finigan could say anything: he himself had an unfortunate habit of setting anything he touched alight. Rose struggled to swallow the vehemence burning inside her.

She'd always had a problem with controlling her anger, that much she knew. Her father had been one of the angriest people she'd ever met, and even her brother could be sharp and quick to lash out, although he'd never set off against her. From the time she was little, she too had had a tendency to let her temper flare, but it had worsened since her father died. There were days where everyone she saw was intolerable, when she just wanted to hit everything she saw and make people suffer like she did. Today was one of those days. And the part of it that upset her almost above everything was the fact that the only person who she didn't have to pretend for was Potter.

She considered it something of a miracle that she managed to remain sane until the end of school. The whole day was one interminable affair, filled with lectures she couldn't care less about and homework she had no intention of ever doing. At the end of her final class, double transfiguration, during which she'd managed to kill three lizards, she skidded down to the Slytherin common room, muttering the password without even stopping. She raced up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, which was filled with a small crowd of sixth years, who were brewing something foul-smelling and suspicious looking. They made an effort to hide the cauldron as she entered, almost spilling it in the process.

"You might want to do that in the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. No one ever uses it because it's Moaning Myrtle's new favourite haunt. If you don't mind her wailing about you, that's a much safer area to brew more...questionable potions"

The boys mumbled their thanks and tried to sneak the cauldron outside, slopping the thick liquid all over the floor.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that," she told them.

"Hey I know you," said one of them, a short boy with an almost shorn head. "You're that girl Malfoy dumped in the Great Hall."

The best looking of them, a tall boy with shaggy brown hair, elbowed him in the ribs. Elina sucked in a breath.

"I'm going to do you a favour and pretend I didn't hear that as well," she stated, her voice low and dangerous. "I'd suggest you scurry down to the bathrooms very quickly before I get someone to look carefully at that slop on the floor."

The boys quickly exited the room and Elina quickly tracked down Scorpius' bed. The bedside table was covered with a book she'd given him for his birthday, a signed autograph from Chaser legend Anton Krum and a framed photograph of Rose Weasley, who waved slightly awkwardly from behind the glass. Elina settled onto his bed and waited.

It didn't take long. Soon, Scorpius and a few other boys made their way up to the dormitory, stopping short when he saw her. His face clouded over into a dark scowl, but he stayed away from her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked irritably. The boys whooped and wolf-whistled, happily enjoying the show.

"Could you guys give us a second?" Elina enquired as politely as she could. The boys did nothing but laugh harder, mimicking her words in a high-pitched voice. With a sigh, she looked at Scorpius imploringly. His expression didn't clear, but he spoke darkly.

"All of you, out. Elina wants to talk."

This time, the boys obeyed, although they messed about as they left. They pirouetted out the door, miming the sound of a whip as they went. Scorpius didn't react at all.

"What a refined bunch they are," joked Elina.

"What do you want?" he asked matter-of-factly, barely even looking at her.

"I need to talk to you."

"Can you make it quick? I have a date with Rose in about ten minutes and I don't want to be late."

"No, I'm sure you don't," she said under her breath. Scorpius rifled through his trunk, annoyed.

"Just tell me what you want. I don't have time for this."

Elina paused, realising that as much as she'd been waiting for this moment, she had no idea what she was going to say. She's always been the sort of person who spoke bluntly and honestly, and such qualities had often carried her through moments such as these. Taking a deep breath, she let the words spill out.

"Rose Weasley cast a love spell on you."

Scorpius stopped, finally looking her in the eye. After a pause, the side of his mouth twisted upwards in an ugly half smile, nothing like the smile she remembered.

"Huh. You always did have a pretty warped sense of humour."

"I'm not joking."

"I'm giving you a chance to be kidding, Elina, before I take you seriously. Because if you're actually accusing Rose of something…"

Elina reached into her pocket and pulled out the bottle of Amortentia. "Okay. Just take a look at this before you say anything. It was found under her desk during potions" She held it out towards him like an offer, but he simply shook his head.

"This is low, even for you."

"Just look at it. Please, before you laugh at me or get angry just look at this and tell me it isn't Amortentia made by Rose Weasley."

To her surprise, Scorpius took the bottle. However, instead of examining it, he set it down on his bedside table, right beside Krum's autograph. He sank beside her on the bed with a sigh.

"Listen, El." Reaching out, he took her hands in his. Elina couldn't have been more surprised if he'd jumped on the bed and performed a tap dance. "I know how this must feel."

Catching sight of the pity in Scorpius' gaze, Elina shook her head manically. "No, you don't understand."

"Of course I do. I never meant to hurt you, you know. But when someone finds the person they're meant to be with, there's nothing you can do about it. This will happen for you as well, alright? You don't need to make up stories about Amortentia and all that, just because you're upset."

"I'm not upset. You have to listen to me, please."

"I promise someone will realise just how wonderful you are and they will just snap you right up. When you have what I have with Rose, you'll understand."

"You have nothing with Rose! She's drugging you!"

"Elina…"

"No, Scorpius, I need you to listen to me now." She got to her feet, incensed. "I didn't want to believe it either, but why else would she have the love potion on her? Just think about it. You've known her for four years, don't you think it's odd that she suddenly became everything you were looking for?"

"Love works in mysterious ways…"

"It isn't love! Nothing can create actual love except the tanglesnoot!" Elina suddenly realised what she'd just said. "Okay, I need to start spending less time with Lysander."

"You're starting to test me."

"Just take a second and try to think. Try and fight through this haze of obsession and really, truly think about it. What made you suddenly decide you were in love with Rose? You can't remember, can you? You just woke up and you were suddenly in love with her. Even you have to admit, that's a little strange."

"Stop it."

"She's tricked you, can't you see that? Just take a look in that bottle and you'll see that I'm right. I'm telling the truth. Rose Weasley is a lying little piece of sh – "

"STOP IT!" Scorpius' roar rolled off the walls and bounced about the room. He rose to meet him, practically towering over her, his eyes burning with maddened hellfire. "I have been putting up with you, simply because I know you're hurting. But I will not sit here and listen to you abuse the girl I love."

"You don't love her! You couldn't possibly love her! Why can't you see what she's doing to you, why won't you just think? She's a liar and a cheat and she's just using you…"

"_Retrovis_!" With a bang, she was lifted off her feet and sent flying, colliding with the wall behind her. Her shoulders and back flared with a sudden agony. With a cry of pain, she dropped to the floor, panting. She glanced up from her crouch to see Scorpius practically foaming at the mouth, his wand gripped so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

"Don't you ever talk about like that again," he hissed aggressively.

In the distance, she could hear the sound of footsteps galloping up the stairs. Four seventh year boys flung themselves into the room, their wands draw at the ready.

"What's happening?"

"Who's being attacked?"

"We're armed!"

Scorpius turned on him, his face still contorted in rage. "Get. Out," he snarled. The boys turned questioningly to Elina, who was trying to get to her feet but kept being stopped by the shooting pains that stabbed down her back.

"Is he hurting you?"

Elina struggled to stand upright and one boy moved forward as though to help her. She waved him away. "I can handle it."

"But…"

"I said I could handle it. But thank you."

The four boys backed out of the door, sending an uncaring Scorpius suspicious looks. "We'll be right outside," one of the boys told her.

"Thank you."

When they were alone once more, Elina turned to Scorpius with a cold, calm rage pulling at her expression. "If you raise a finger against me one more time, I will unleash the fury of hell upon you."

"Okay."

"I mean it, Scorpius."

"I know. I lost my temper and that was inexcusable. I just can't hear you say these lies about her."

"I wouldn't lie to you. Not about this, not ever."

Scorpius reached over to her and helped her to his bed. It was odd to believe how much she'd missed the most mundane qualities he possessed: the feel of his touch and the smell of his skin.

"I know things aren't easy for you, what with your dad, and Rose and me and everything. That's why I'm going to let you off for this."

"It isn't about that. It isn't about me."

"Of course it is." The anger from his face cleared, his eyes large and wistful in his peaked face. "I love her, El. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. It's like every nerve in your body comes alive and just becomes electrified. I can't think of anything else but her. Nothing else even seems to matter, not Quidditch or my friends or schoolwork..."

"Or me?" Elina didn't want to say the words, but she did nonetheless. Scorpius had the decency to look saddened.

"You and I…We weren't like Rose and I are. You must know that."

"You mean I wasn't drugging you?"

"Stop saying that. It isn't true and it isn't fair. Just because you're jealous…"

"Me? Jealous of Weasley?" Elina tried to laugh, but the sound was frighteningly high and hysterical.

"I'm not mad, El. I mean, I'm sorry you feel like this but I'm not angry at you or anything."

"Angry? Why the hell would you be angry at me?"

"I feel like this conversation is going in circles. You and I were never in love. You know, we'd only been dating a couple of months."

"You've dated her two weeks. Literally two weeks."

"For god's sake, have some dignity, Elina."

"This coming from the boy who's been following Weasley around like a lost puppy."

"Okay, I've tried to be nice, but you clearly aren't planning on letting this ridiculous notion go anytime soon. When you're done trying to ruin my happiness, I'd really appreciate it if you left."

He started to walk away, leaving Elina alone on the bed. Once again, she spoke without thought. It seemed to be the best option she had.

"Does it really not surprise you?"

He stopped but didn't turn. "What?"

"That you could forget me so easily. Did it not strike you as strange, not even for a moment, that I mattered that little to you? That one pretty face could erase me completely from your mind?"

For a moment she thought that he would simply walk away. When he eventually swivelled his head to look at her, his eyes were shining, either from tears or from the light. "You cared about me. Didn't you?"

Elina nodded, her throat blocked. _I still do._

"Then please. Please just let me be happy. Because I am. I'm so happy sometimes I think it's just a dream and I can hardly stand it because I'm so terrified that one day I'll wake up. If you care about me at all, if you ever did, just stop this. Stop trying to hurt me and pass potions off as Amortentia and making up these stories."

"There isn't anything I can say to make you believe me, is there?"

"I did a horrible thing to you. I know that and I will always be sorry. But if there's any possible way you can just be happy for me, just try. For me."

Gnawing at his bottom lip, he turned away.

"She'll break your heart," said Elina, more to herself than to him. He heard.

"It's hers to break," he answered before he slipped around the doorway. Massaging her bruised shoulders, Elina looked at the bottle sitting on the bedside table. She thought of taking it with her, but thought better of it: perhaps in some brief moment of lucidity he would take a closer look and realise what it was. As she got up to leave, she glanced inside his trunk and her attention was caught by a glimmer of glass in the sunlight. Looking closer, she saw it was a picture of herself, smiling shyly and blowing a kiss to the frame. The glass was shattered from being dropped, a spider web of cracks making her face almost indistinguishable. She looked from the photo of Rose, happily on display, to her own broken and hidden picture. Without a word or a sound, she turned on her heel and walked away, not letting herself look back.

**Chapter 11- Rose Weasley**

Rose turned her bag inside out, shaking its contents out onto her bed. Desperately, she sifted through her belongings, knocking aside rolls of parchment, thick feathered quills and bottles containing leftover potion. Frantically uncapping each bottle, she sniffed them all, hoping one of them would release the now familiar smell of Amortentia. In her hurry, she knocked one of the glass vials off her bed, where it shattered against the ground. A small pool of sticky greenish brown liquid seeped over the ground, sizzling as it gnawed into the wood. With a curse, she found her wand from among the collateral that covered her bedspread and pointed it at the rapidly growing stain.

"_Purgato._"

The fragments of glass pieced themselves together, slowly filling with the ugly coloured liquid. She grabbed the suspended bottle and flung in among the others on the bed. Convinced it wasn't in her bag, she started to search in her trunk, pulling out her robes and the rest of her textbooks, everything she owned spread across the floor. As she emptied out the pockets of all the clothing she owned, she was approached by a very perplexed Dom.

"What are you doing?"

"Discovering a new species of unicorn."

"What?"

"I'm looking for something! God, isn't that obvious?"

"Do you need help or something?"

Rose glanced up, still rifling through the pockets of her jeans. "Are you actually offering to help?"

"Well, yeah I guess."

"That would be great. Thank you."

Dom's lip curled. "Oh. I didn't think you'd actually take me up on it. Well, as much as I'd _love _to, I can't. I have a date with Joel."

"What happened to Tim?"

"Oh, him." Dom waved the question away. "I hope you find your…whatever you're looking for."

Dom sashayed away, her blond hair flipping behind her as she went.

"Always good to know you can rely on family," Rose muttered to herself angrily.

In a matter of minutes, the entire trunk had been emptied and searched. Her possessions were strewn over half the dormitory, but there was still no sight of the small glass bottle she needed. Giving up, she collapsed back onto her bed with a groan.

Perhaps this was the sign she'd been waiting for that she should stop giving the potion to Scorpius. Although James had point when he spoke of the consequences, he had a definite habit of overcomplicating the simplest of matters. Maybe if Scorpius just suddenly fell out of love with her, he'd accept it. He'd certainly accepted falling in love with her easily enough. Finding her feet, she made her way down to the common room, where James was sitting between Teddy and Fred, all of them lamenting over their piles of work.

"Come on. I spent hours working in this," she heard Fred complain.

"Actually I spent hours on it. All you did was sit there and tell me to hurry up."

"That is completely untrue. I had to go all the way downstairs and get that stupid textbook. And I had to read through all those notes you gave me."

"_Made _you. The notes I made you."

"Hush now, children," ordered James. "I demand that someone gives me an essay."

"You could always write it yourself."

"But that would deny you the joy of making me happy. Besides I'm a poor injured soul in need of help. Reach into yourself and find some compassion."

"You're in better health than you were before you fell."

"Hey, James!" Rose interrupted James' voice. "James I can't find it."

"Can't find what, my beautiful cousin? There isn't any chance you'd like to write me a History of Magic essay, is there?"

"None." She lowered her voice. "I lost the potion."

Fred gave her a shrewd look. "So the plan will have to be stopped, I take it?"

"I suppose so."

"Oh, what a shame. I'm sure you're crushed," remarked Fred with a wink. She shot him a sour glare.

"Nonsense, my foolish friends. The plan will continue as we agreed."

"There's no more potion, James. I mean, I thought it was in my pocket but I've checked everywhere and it's gone."

"I thought something like this might happen. You think I'd entrust all of my hard-earned potion to a young child like you?" He started to get up, before sitting back down. "What am I doing? I forgot that I'm lazy." Lifting his wand, he directed it at the boys' dormitory. "_Accio Amo-"_

Teddy threw himself at James, shoving his hand over his friend's mouth. "Would you like to say it louder, so that the entire common room can hear?"

Not dropping his wand, James spoke, unconcerned by the hand that covered his mouth. "_Accio Amortentia_," he cast, his voice heavily muffled and barely audible. Rose watched as small object soared down the stairs, smacking a first year boy in the side of his head and sending him lurching back into a first year girl. Rose jumped up, her hand clasped to her mouth, while James snatched the object from the air seconds before it collided with his nose.

"Be careful! You could have killed him," accused Rose, craning her neck to see if the boy was alright.

"No one ever died from a flying potion bottle. Besides, look." He gestured at the boy, who was chatting to the girl who'd caught him, still rubbing at his temple. "I've just created young love. My own skills amaze me at times."

He handed her a bottle filled with pearly liquid with a flourish but she didn't take it. Repeating the gesture, his eyes bored into her expectantly.

"Rose, I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm sensing a certain reluctance."

"James, I don't want to do this anymore."

Fred gave her a small, encouraging smile, but Teddy shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Well!" he said, a little too loudly. "You can clearly resolve these issues between yourselves. I'll be over there, writing your essay, if you need me." He clumsily made his way across the room and buried his head in his books, making a show of busying himself. James would not be distracted.

"What do you mean, Rosy-Pose?"

"I hate this. I can't keep hurting him and Elina this way, and I'm not comfortable doing this anymore. I'm stopping."

"Oh are you?"

Rose had that feeling James gave her sometimes, the feeling that she was walking into a trap. "Yeah, I am."

Fred stepped in, his face set. "James, if she isn't comfortable with it, there isn't anything you can do."

"I have no plan to do anything." James' voice was sickly sweet. "Whatever my beautiful cousin wants, she can have."

"Um…thank you, James."

"Well, I can't waste my day on the whims of children. If you two will excuse me, I have essays to write and NEWTs to pass." He moved towards Teddy, leaving Rose and Fred swapping a confused look.

"You're really okay with this?" she asked.

"How could I not be? When have I ever asked you to do anything you weren't comfortable with?" Picking up one of his textbooks, he pulled a face. "Damn, I left my notes upstairs. Rose, will you come with me to grab them?"

"James," started Fred warningly.

"Oh come on, we're agreed. I will not make you do anything you don't want to do, case closed." He gestured her towards the dormitory and she followed uncertainly. She waited until they were in the room before she began to speak.

"I don't think…"

"Rose, I'm concerned that you don't fully understand what I want from you."

"This isn't a negotiation. I said no and I mean no."

"I completely agree. However, I do wish you were slightly more understanding. Like how I was when you, you know, shattered my spine."

"That was an accident…"

"When have I said otherwise? I think I was more than fair. All I'm asking is for you to be fair to me as well and to keep up your end of the deal."

"I did. You said I only had to do this for a couple of weeks and that's what I did. You are dragging this out needlessly and I'm not comfortable with it anymore."

"Well, if we're sacrificing loyalty for comfort, maybe now I'm uncomfortable lying for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at you, breaking school rules. If anyone found out that you used magic to meddle with an outcome of a Quidditch match…Well, let's just say, I'd hate to see what they'd do to you."

"You wouldn't."

"You know, that's exactly what I said when Fred told me that you would drop out of the plan. And yet here we are. It's hard to rely on what people will and won't do. It seems you can't even depend on family anymore."

"No one would believe you."

"I completely disagree. You know how this school like to gossip. Everyone knows what a good Beater I am, everyone saw me beat up on your boy toy, not to mention the fact that you're well known as one of the best spell casters in your year. If a rumour should happen to spring up that you cast a spell on me to protect young Malfoy, I doubt it would be refuted."

"Don't do this."

"Don't be stupid, Rosie. We made a deal and I don't like it when people turn their backs on deals. So you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."

"You're talking like a drug dealer."

He reached the bottle towards her, watching it glint in the light. "Just take it. Give him three drops today, two tomorrow and one the next day. After that, you can stop."

"Why do you care about this anyway? You've made your point, it's over."

"I'm trying to get out of this making as little mess as possible so you and that Malfoy kid can go back to your ordinary lives. A few more days, that's all I need. You did smash my skull in, you know. You owe me."

With a growl, she grabbed the bottle from his hands. "I hate you."

"No you don't, silly girl. Wait a second!"

"What?"

He reached out and plucked a few hairs from her head, unstoppering the bottle in her hands and dropping the hairs inside. Bending down to sniff it, he smiled.

"Perfect."

"I'm leaving."

"Off to see the apple of your eye? Your prince charming? The Babbity Rabbity to your cackling stump?"

"Yes. Whose fault is that?"

"You mean: thank you James for introducing me to the man I love. Well, the boy you love anyway."

"First of all, I don't love him. Second of all, in a couple of days, he won't even remember why he loved me."

"So you should be thrilled. Now scurry along before you make lover boy wait." He grabbed her arm when she started to walk away. "Hold on."

"Haven't I done enough for you?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for this. You're nearly finished."

With a roll of her eyes, she wrenched her arm back and made her way down the stairs to meet Scorpius, avoiding Fred's attempts to talk to her on the way back.

…...

"Rose!" She hated how his face was always so pleased yet surprised to see her, like he couldn't believe she'd come.

"Hi Scorpius."

"I have a fantastic date planned." She hated how inventive he was, how each of the dates he planned were different and better than she'd dared imagine.

"That's…that's great. I'm really excited."

"Oh yes, look at you. You're positively overflowing with joy." She hated his flippant sense of humour and how similar it was to her own. Just looking at him made her feel sick and teary. She even hated his appearance, his silky blond hair and rich beautiful eyes, brilliant against his golden skin. She hated the amount that she loved him.

"Don't worry about it. So where are we going?"

"Well, I was going to take you on a nice little jaunt to Honeydukes, but now I want to know why you're upset."

"Just James being an idiot."

"How is he? Is he better?"

"Much. His bones are completely healed and he appears to have returned to his original position of being a pain in my neck."

"You know you'd miss him if he wasn't there."

"At this point, I'm not so sure. Anyway, it doesn't matter. How was your day?"

"Surreal actually. I just got cornered by Elina."

Rose stopped. "What do you mean, cornered?"

"Don't worry, nothing happened," Scorpius reassured her, misunderstanding.

"No really, what did she say?"

"Oh, it was silly, really. She was just saying some nonsense about some love potion she found."

"_What_?"

"Honestly, it was so ridiculous. I feel bad for her really."

"Scorpius, tell me what she said."

"Well, she was trying to feed me some story about you slipping me love potion so you'd fall in love with me."

"Are you serious?" She could feel herself starting to panic and made a conscious effort to remain calm. "Where did she say she found the potion?"

"Under your desk or something. Don't listen to her, okay? Elina has her fair share of issues but I didn't think she had that kind of imagination."

"Scorpius…I…I…"

"I know, I know, she can be stupid sometimes. As though you'd do something like that to me."

"Yeah." Her voice came out octaves higher than usual. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't love you because of some potion. I love you because you're sweet and funny and different." Rose stated to speak, but Scorpius cut her off. "I know! No complimenting. Am I allowed to just state facts?"

"Scorpius, about what Elina said…" The rest of the sentence rested on Rose's tongue. It was such a perfect path to telling him the truth and yet she couldn't make herself take it. The moment passed and Scorpius spoke again.

"Hey! Hey, don't think I believe her." Scorpius cupped her face, resting his forehead against hers. "Don't let her ruin this, please. I wouldn't have told you if I thought it would upset you. This is the happiest I've ever been."

"Me too." Rose was surprised to find that she was speaking the truth. As much as she loathed lying to him, spending time with Scorpius was the highlight of her days. With a quick kiss, he let her go, smiling gently.

"Are you ready to hit up the greatest sweet store in Britain?"

"Of course." Rose tried to smile but couldn't fight the nauseous feeling that gnawed at her stomach. Scorpius noticed her face.

"Promise me you won't let what Elina said worry you, okay?"

"I promise."

"Good. You know it's insane, don't you?"

"Yeah. Completely insane."

"Now, come on. Let's go eat until our teeth rot. I'll show you a way to Hogsmead through that one eyed witch statue."

"Great."

Scorpius pulled her up the stairs and she fought to forget that Elina knew what she'd done. Telling herself no one would possibly believe such a story, she forced a smile onto her face and laughed mindlessly at whatever Scorpius was saying.

…

Rose returned to the common room a few hours later with a frown and several bags filled to the bursting with all sorts of magical sweets. Fred pounced almost the moment she emerged, relieving her of two entire bags and diving in immediately.

"Hey!"

"Sharing is caring," mumbled Fred through a mouthful of liquorice. "Besides I deserve this. I've been working like a dog while you've been gallivanting around having the time of your life."

"Not exactly."

Teddy appeared behind him and gave Fred an elbow to the ribs. Fred let out an indignant noise, barely distinguishable through the vast amount of food crammed into his mouth.

"You idiot. Can't you see she's upset?"

"Wha-" Fred looked up, his mouth smeared with chocolate. Teddy raised his eyebrows.

"Never mind. Go back to your studying now that you've recharged."

"Maybe I will."

After he'd gone, Teddy walked Rose to an armchair and gestured for her to sit, perching himself on the arm beside her. She rested her head against his arm.

"Tell me how you feel about Vicks."

"Sorry?" Of all the things Teddy had expected her to say, that was the last of them.

"Victoire. You love her don't you?"

"Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

"What does it feel like, to be in love?"

"I suppose it's…it's difficult to explain. It's like you're in a world of your own and ordinary things don't matter, even though you know they should. You just want to be with them all the time and see them be happy and all of that stupid stuff you hear people say in songs and poems and books."

"Damn it."

"What is it?"

"I'm in love with Scorpius Malfoy."

Teddy sighed, petting the top of Roses' head affectionately. "Yeah, I know kiddo."

"How do you know?"

"I have some experience in the area. You've got that look on your face that I've been seeing in the mirror for three years."

"Has it been three years already?"

"I know. Time flies." He tilted his head, looking at her questioningly. "So, what are you going to do?"

"In three days, I stop giving him potion. Then he'll go back to Elina and everything will be normal again."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes necessarily. That's the way it should be, that's the way it has to be. I shouldn't be allowed to keep him just because I forced him to be mine. And now Elina knows."

"You're joking."

"I wish I was. She found the potion I lost and tried to confront Scorpius about it. I wouldn't be surprised if she has some plan to get revenge on me already."

"No one will believe her."

"People believe anything they're told. Besides, I don't care about that. I care about when Scorpius realises that I've been drugging him all this time." She lifted one of the textbooks and knocked her head against it over and over again. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why the hell did I ever agree to this?"

"Well, James can be very persuasive when the mood strikes him."

"No, it isn't his fault. I never should have said yes."

"Can I give you a piece of advice? One you probably don't want to hear?"

"Of course, that's your job. I mean, I would ask Fred, but..." She gestured at Fred, who was jumping up and down frantically, shocked by the taste of a Spicy Sherbet, a small black sweet that burned ones' tongue. James, seated beside him, threw a goblet of water at his face causing his entire mouth to sizzle. With a contented sigh, he settled back into the seat and squeezed three whole chocolate frogs in his mouth. Rose rolled her eyes.

"No, I wouldn't call him the expert on relationships," remarked Teddy.

"So, oh great and wise one, enlighten me. What should I do?"

"Well, young grasshopper, I think you should just stop."

"Stop?"

"James is a clever guy and there are times where he can mean well. I think that he actually does, this time around, and he's trying to fix this. When James Potter agrees an idea is bad, it's one of the worst ever thought of. But as much as he's trying to make it better, he's never quite grasped the concept of simplicity. I think you should just stop the plan now, lay your cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may."

"So just stop giving him the potion now."

"So what? He'll wake up and not be in love with you. That was always going to be the outcome, whether you dragged it out for three more days or three more years."

"Should I tell him about the potion?"

"Why overcomplicate things that way? Maybe he'll still like you and maybe he won't be able to stand you. All you can do is throw away that stuff that caused all this and see what he does. It's his move after that."

"You're probably right."

"Here's one thing I'll tell you. Being in love is one of the greatest, craziest things that can happen to someone. Be happy. Enjoy it."

"I imagine it's easier to be in love if the person loves you back."

"Not when it's a lie and he has no other choice. You know it's true, Rosie. It isn't the same."

"Yeah, yeah, don't lecture me."

"There she is! The light of my life." Rose looked up to see Victoire enter, her eyes lit up and her grin stretched widely over her pretty face.

"You had better be referring to me," she laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"No, I'm not. Rose is now the light of my life. I'm sorry to inform you that we have fallen madly in love and are eloping at dawn."

"Well perfect. So my plan to run away with Hugo can be put to action."

Teddy mimed shock. "But Victoire! He's eleven. And your cousin!"

"Age is but a number. Oh Hugo, come here!" she called, but Teddy shushed her, pulling her down onto his lap as she burst into peals of laughter. He leaned his face down so it was right by hers.

"Did I say hello?" he asked softly.

"I must have missed it."

"Hello."

"Hello." Propping herself up on her elbows, she leaned up to kiss him. Rose cleared her throat.

"Well, I think I'll be off." She stood but neither Teddy nor Victoire looked up. "Oh please, stop. No matter how much you beg, I would not stay here a moment longer."

There was still no reaction and Rose mounted the stairs to her dormitory, laying herself on her bed. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew the Amortentia and spun it around, admiring it despite herself. For a moment, she let herself imagine what would happen if she continued to feed it to him, if she let him adore her. She envisioned the life they could have, her and Scorpius, if he belonged to her forever. It was true what they said: power was intoxicating.

In a fit of rage, she flung the bottle at the wall. She'd hoped it would shatter dramatically upon impact, but the glass simply bounced off the plaster and landed on the bed again. With a sigh, she placed it on her table, stepped back, and pointed her wand at it. Steeling herself, she flicked the wand aggressively.

"_Demoliro!"_

With a clink, the bottle splintered into thousands of tiny pieces, which covered her table and stabbed into her books. The thick pearly liquid bled into the wood and paper, releasing the sickly smell of lavender and mint. The sound made the girls littered about the dormitory look up in surprise. One of them stood up to investigate.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

With a grim face, she set about cleaning the mess she created. One shard at a time.

**Chapter 12- Scorpius Malfoy**

He couldn't describe what was different. It hadn't begun until the end of his final class, but the strange feeling swelling inside of him was rapidly growing. It was neither pleasant nor uncomfortable; it was simply different. Shaking his head to free himself of his thoughts, he tried to focus on the potions work that sat before him, a scribble of unintelligible words. He missed the days when Elina would sit beside him and help him make sense of the words written before him. In fact, he missed Elina, plain and simple.

Shaking his head again, he stood and stretched, trying to detach himself of the thought of Elina. _Rose_ he thought to himself _you love Rose. _Despite his best efforts, he could only form the image of Elina in his mind: her smooth dark hair, her pinched pale skin, her pale blue eyes. As much as he missed Rose, he missed his ex-girlfriend as well, missed her insanely. The feeling both confused him and upset him.

"Hey kid." He looked up to see Jenna walk up to him, laden down with heavy textbooks and a handful of quills.

"Oh, hey Jen."

"What's up? You don't look so good."

"I don't know. I feel…strange."

"Well maybe that's one of the effects of the strange sickness of _lurve_." She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"What? Oh yeah, Rose. I'm seeing her a little later. I couldn't see her yesterday because she was studying or something. Can I ask you a question?"

"No." She laughed. "Of course you can, you idiot."

"How's Elina?"

Jenna's eyebrows almost shot into her hairline. "Elina huh? I thought you couldn't make yourself care about her, no matter how hard you tried," she mocked, lowering her voice to mimic him.

"I spoke to her two days ago and she seemed upset. I was just wondering how she's doing. You do know, don't you?"

"Of course I do. She took it badly for a little while, but she seems to have calmed down now. Although, she has seemed a little riled up over the last day or so, now that you mention it."

"She wasn't acting like herself. I imagine I'm the last person she wants to see though. Can…can you look after her for me?"

"Why do you care?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I last spoke to you, you didn't give a damn. What changed?"

"I don't know. I just keep thinking about how sad she looked yesterday and all these rumours I heard about her crying in the bathrooms. Jen, am I a terrible person?"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Of course you aren't, kiddo. I mean, yes, you weren't the most tactful of boyfriends, but Elina's one tough cookie. I think you should apologise, but if Rose makes you happy, I guess you have to do what's best for you."

"She does make me happy." _Why does she? _Scorpius couldn't stop the cruel, taunting little voice that sung in his ear. There was nothing he wanted more than to swat it away.

"That's all you can ask for. Rose is a lucky girl."

"No, I'm the lucky one to have had Rose in my life. And Elina." He couldn't stop himself from slipping Elina in there as well, something Jenna clearly noticed. Changing the subject quickly, he sought to distract her. "How are you anyway? How are things with Vincent and all that?"

"Fine."

"I know when you're lying. It's one of my many fantastic qualities."

"Just behind humility. It's fine, it's nothing. It's just…no, it's nothing."

"If you aren't happy, you should leave him."

"It's not that. He can be so sweet at times, when he tries. It isn't like he's mean or abusive or anything like that. He just forgets to notice me."

"You deserve better."

"They can't all be the best. Sometimes, you just have to settle."

"Yeah, but you of all people shouldn't have to. I don't understand why you put up with him."

"Even the smartest girls get a bit stupid over boys. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more homework than I could do in a week due tomorrow."

"Promise me you'll keep an eye on Elina."

"I swear on my mother's soul."

"And I will keep an eye on Vincent for you. If he puts one toe out of line…" Scorpius mimed punching. "I'll take him out for you."

"Because that worked out so well last time. I heard about your lovely little duel in the Room of Requirement."

"One more minute and I would have defeated him once and for all."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night!" she called over her shoulder as she walked away. Scorpius chuckled before wincing as a sudden splitting headache sliced into his temple. His hand shot to his head, but the wave of pain was gone in moments. With a perplexed jerk of the head he started down the stairs to meet Rose, ignoring the strange feeling bubbling in his stomach.

…..

The random bursts of pain were increasing in frequency and intensity and were now not simply restricted to his head. They were shooting down to his stomach and even his throat, disappearing as quickly as they came. He tried to ignore the feeling, putting it down to some sort of sickness that must have been going around. Nausea began to well in his stomach as well, the sky and grass of his surroundings beginning to spin lightly about him. Resting his hand on the tree by the lake, where Rose and he had agreed meet, he closed his eyes and waited for the feeling to pass.

"Scorpius? Are you feeling okay?"

He opened his eyes to see Rose's face swimming in front of her, concern visible in her fuzzy features. Making an effort, he straightened himself, disregarding the world lurching before his gaze.

"It's fine. I'm a bit sick, but I'm fine."

She looked different somehow. He couldn't place quite what had changed, but he couldn't help notice certain things. Her hair was bushy and tangled, her face was slightly asymmetrical and her clothes were messy and scuffed. Perhaps it was the pain in his head, but he couldn't deny the fact that she wasn't as he remembered her to be. Her smile was the same though, a flash of teeth that radiated warmth and brilliance.

"Do you want something? I know some spells that could help with headaches and if you give me a couple of hours I could rustle up a potion…"

"No, thanks. That's sweet, but no."

"Scorpius, are you sure…?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Come on, let's go."

He slipped his hand into hers and led her along the lake. He felt her pull back and turned to see what was wrong. Taking a look at her face, he hit himself in the forehead, cursing himself for forgetting.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot you have that whole thing about the lake."

"No, it's fine." He heard her breathe in deeply. "I should probably learn to be near it. So long as we don't fall in, I guess."

"You're very brave." He meant it as well. The whole school had been abuzz when they'd pulled Albus' Potter's body from the waters, bloated and covered in rope burns from the Grindylows. They had all plunged into mourning for him for at least two weeks, but the boy was just a faded memory now to all who weren't his family. Having no cousins, he couldn't really relate to how she felt, couldn't imagine how painful losing someone you loved would be. His words were met with a look of surprise from Rose.

"You still think so?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"No reason. Scorpius, can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"How do you feel about me?"

He opened his mouth to tell her he adored her, but somehow couldn't get the words out. Choking on his silence, he opted for an easier way out. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. Tell me."

"You know how I feel about you Elina. _Rose! _You know how I feel about you…Rose." Panicked, he searched her face for any sigh of anger, but strangely found none. "Sorry. I'm sick. I know that's no excuse."

"Don't worry. I was just asking. It doesn't matter."

With a groan, he spun around to face her. "Yes it does matter. Of course it matters." He leaned towards her, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair. "You are the only girl I want to be with, okay? I only said Elina because I've been thinking about her. She's been upset lately and I was just wondering if she was okay. Nothing to worry about, I promise."

"You still want to date me?"

Scorpius snorted. "Of course I still want to date you." He suddenly reeled back, surprised by the shock of pain that stabbed in his head. The cry that emerged from his mouth was like a high-pitched birdcall, embarrassingly feminine.

"Scorpius, seriously, tell me what's wrong with you."

"Just a headache. Probably from all the studying I've been doing."

"Maybe we should sit down."

The act of sitting made the world lose focus and spin faster than ever. He slumped forwards, massaging his temples.

"You're scaring me," said Rose when he managed to regain clarity.

"It's nothing. Now distract me. How was your day?"

"Busy, I guess. I can't believe we're only doing our OWLs. I mean, what the hell are NEWTs going to be like?"

"I don't even want to think about it. But I suppose I'm lucky."

"Oh really? Why, is your natural genius going to carry you through?

"Well, yes, there is that. But I also only need NEWTs in charms and transfiguration for what I want to do."

"What is this magical profession of which you speak? Do tell."

"A curse breaker."

"Ooh. Mysterious. Intriguing."

"How about you? Minister of Magic, I presume." Even her voice was different than it used to be, less musical. The sound of it no longer sent tingles down his spine.

"You presume too much. I mean, I'd like to work for the Ministry, I think, but I wouldn't go that far."

"I could definitely see you as Minister. Ah!" He reached up to his forehead, his entire body tensing in discomfort.

"That does it, I'm taking you to the hospital wing."

"No don't." He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her down into a sitting position. "It'll pass."

"When did this start?"

"Earlier today. I think I might have caught something from…ow!" A sudden torrent of nausea and pain sank to the pit of his stomach, sending him staggering backwards in the grass. He rolled onto his back, clutching at his sides as he let out a low roar of pain. Spots danced before his eyes as his body started to tremble despite himself, shakes sneaking from his chest down to his fingertips. Dimly, he registered Rose's panicked voice in the distance, sounding faded and far away.

"Scorpius. Oh my god, Scorpius what's happened to you?"

"My head…I think I'm going to be sick."

Blinding pain and an awful queasiness shot over his body, cold sweats sliding down his forehead and the back of his neck. Panic closed his throat, his breaths coming out in short, sharp gasps. He felt Rose's hand stroking his hair back, warm and sticky with his perspiration. The wail that came from his throat was almost inhuman.

"This is it," he moaned, chills sliding down his spine. "I'm dying."

He heard Rose gasped and looked up to see her clamp her hand over her mouth. "I know what this is." Her voice was soft and strained. "I know what's happening to you."

"What do you mean?" For a moment, he thought he honestly would throw up. Her answer was so inaudible he couldn't even distinguish the words.

"What did you say?"

"It's withdrawals." It took him a moment to understand what she said.

"Don't be…ridiculous. I'm not on…drugs or…anything." He grunted with pain at every breath, splintering his words, but rolled himself into an upright position. No amount of moving seemed to alleviate the feeling anyway.

"You see, when people are on strong potions regularly for a long period of time and then stop suddenly, they can go through some withdrawals. It shouldn't last long, not even past this afternoon, you were only on the potion a couple of weeks."

"Rose, I'm…not on…any potion." He retched unattractively. "I think…there's something really…wrong with me." Letting out a loud groan, he squeezed his eyes closed.

"No. You've been on some potion. But it's all over now, I promise you." Rose sounded close to tears.

"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've been drugging you okay? I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't realise it would affect you like this. I knew I should have weaned you off it slowly, but I didn't realise it would be this bad. I'm sorry." Her voice broke on the last word.

"You've been…drugging me?" repeated Scorpius stupidly.

"It was only Amortentia. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear. I only gave you a little bit, it should wear off in a few hours, if that."

He looked up at her, seeing her eyes fill with tears. Remembering what Elina had said, he coughed out something that was intended as a laugh. "Is this some joke…you and El…came up with together?"

"Come here and sit back." She leaned him back against his tree, his head resting against the cool bark. Pulling out a handkerchief, she drew out her wand and embedded it in the cloth. "_Aguamenti," _she cast, filling the cloth with water. She placed it against his forehead, making him jump as the icy liquid touched his sweaty brow. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Rose, tell me what you're talking about."

"Please don't be mad. Well, of course you're going to be mad, but…"

The words she'd spoken suddenly hit him, forming together into a coherent thought. His aching head struggled to make sense of what she was saying. "Tell me this is a joke." Her silence made his voice rise frantically. "Rose, it isn't true. Tell me it isn't true."

"I wish I could," whispered Rose, her voice cracking. In that moment, Scorpius could barely recognise her.

"Oh my god." Beneath the pain, Scorpius was numb. "You…you fed me Amortentia?"

"I had to. No, that's not true, I didn't have to. He just made it sound so easy, and I didn't realise it would feel like this." Rose was crying now, tears sliding silently down her flushed cheeks. The sight made no impact on him. He struggled to get himself upright, flopping back down when a shard of agony sliced his skull.

"I don't understand. Did I do something to you? Did I kill your owl, or hit you with my broom or torture your little brother or something? What could I possibly have done to make you make you hate me this much?"

"I could never hate you."

"Then why? Give me one damn reason why you decided to step in and ruin my life." Scorpius was wracked by more convulsions, but he fought to keep his pain at bay. He couldn't form the energy to hate beneath the aches.

"James asked me to. He was trying to get back at Elina…" The sound of her name hit Scorpius like a bolt of electricity.

"Elina! She tried to warn me about you and I treated her like some child." He massaged his temples, his eyes closed tightly. "I am an idiot. A complete and utter idiot."

"He said she threatened him and his little sister, Lily. He was trying to teach her a lesson and I stupidly agreed to help him."

"Elina wouldn't do that. Threaten James, yes, she's always had trouble with opening her mouth too much around bullies. But she would never, ever threaten Lily."

"James wouldn't lie to me. I mean, he would but…"

"I can't believe it." Scorpius heard the disgust in his own voice. "I just can't believe you would do this to me. And all this time I was so in love with you, going on and on about how perfect you were to anyone who would listen. Here I am, screwing over Elina, whom I said…" He covered his mouth. "I said such horrible things to her."

"I didn't think it would be like this. It was only meant to be harmless."

"Harmless? You think tearing my girlfriend and I apart is harmless? You think me being forced to love you is harmless?"

"I know, I know, it was wrong. That's why I stopped giving it to you."

"Oh how very _noble_ of you. That must have been so hard for you, what a wonderful human being you must be." Scorpius could feel his voice cracking beneath his sarcasm and looked away. Even the sight of Rose's face made him feel sick, although that may have been from the potion withdrawals.

"I didn't realise…"

"What? That I was a human being with actual feelings? That you were hurting actual people who have never done anything to you?"

"That you were perfect."

The answer caught Scorpius off guard and he looked up. Tears were still falling absently down her face, but she brushed them away, upset.

"Stop it. Stop playing whatever twisted, messed up games you want with people. It isn't funny and it isn't fair." His voice was shaking alongside the rest of his body.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm not playing anymore."

Scorpius let his head rest back against the tree again, a peculiar burning sensation in his throat. He looked at Rose's earnest face and felt nothing but dead blankness.

"I think you should go."

"Scorpius, I…"

"Go, Rose."

Rose got to her feet, but didn't leave. "I can't just leave you here. What if you need medical attention or something?"

"You said it'll only last a couple of hours. I don't need anyone to take care of me. And the last person I need is you." Pain still flared in his head, but he forced himself not to react. He didn't think he could take one more minute of looking at her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her back up a few steps, not turning away.

"I love you." Her voice was low and defeated, more of a confession than a declaration. He just looked at her.

"You thought now was the time to tell me?"

"I wasn't sure I'd get another chance. Besides, it can't make you hate me more, can it?"

"Well, I love you too." He watched as Rose's eyes widened in shock.

"You…you do?"

"Oh wait. No I don't. That was just the potion you'd been sneaking to me. My mistake."

"Scorpius…"

"Well, what did you expect? Who could ever love you?"

He regretted the words as soon as he said them when he saw the look on her face. It was as though he'd slapped her. With a nod, she turned around, ducking her head to hide her tears.

"Feel better," he heard her whisper as she walked away. Collapsing back onto the tree, he clutched the wet cloth to his forehead and sat silently as agony and sickness washed over him.

"Now would be an excellent time to die," he said to himself softly as he clutched his stomach and fought to keep himself together.

…..

"Where's Elina?"

"Sorry, have you seen Elina Goyle?"

"Elina Goyle? About this tall, dark hair, fifth-year?"

It was almost dark and Scorpius was desperately combing through the common room in search of Elina. The pains had almost all seeped away, although nausea still turned his stomach and chills occasionally shot down his back. All he could feel now was a need to find Elina and apologise or explain or…something. He hadn't quite figured out what to say to her. Making his way over to the fireplace, he found Jenna immersed in her work.

"Jenna! Jen, thank god."

"Well, that's a hell of a greeting. What do you want?"

"Where's Elina? Please, I need to know where she is."

"Why, is there a problem?"

"Yes! I mean, no. I mean…please just tell me where she is."

"I don't know. I spoke to her earlier and she seemed upset. She said she was going to be alone."

"She said that?"

"Yeah."

"Perfect. I know where she is. Thanks Jen." Scorpius started to race out before Jenna put a hand on his shoulder.

"Scorpius. You're white as a sheet and you've been gone for hours. What's happening?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, kiddo, but you should know that I'm amazing in these sorts of situations. I am basically the queen of the emotional crisis."

"Somehow, I doubt this is the sort of situation you're used to."

"You really do look sick. Do you need to lie down or something?"

"What I need is to find Elina, right now. You can track me down and Spanish Inquisition me later."

He bolted out of the Slytherin common room and made his way through the dungeons, almost knocking of a decorative wall of skulls. He made his way up the stairs until he reached a portrait he'd seen more times than he could count. Merwyn the Malicious watched him with suspicious, hooded eyes, holding out his hooked wand. He was draped in a worn brown cloak and stood against a boulder of still grey rock, a trickle of water dancing over the stone.

"Mr Malfoy," the portrait greeted him with a nasal sneer. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, I know."

"It's disheartening for a portrait to be forgotten, you know. The dead still have feelings."

"Is Elina in there?"

"The pretty girl you're always with? Maybe. Maybe not."

"I know she's in there. Can you let me in?"

"I can. The question is, will I?"

"Please will you just let me in? I need to talk to her."

"Isn't my secret passage way the place you go when you want to be alone? I think the lady did not desire any company."

"I am asking you nicely. Couldn't you just, you know, open?"

With a leer, the portrait swung open to reveal Elina, sitting in their ordinary spot. Months ago, when they'd first started dating, Elina and he had discovered a tunnel behind the portrait of Merwyn which led directly into the Three Broomsticks. In the last month or so of their being together, they stopped making their way through the entire passageway and started just sitting at the entrance, just behind the painting. They used to sit for hours and talk, curled up together, their faces lit by the light of their wands. Now, it was only her sitting there, glancing up as the light hit her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, tears dancing among the blue. She said nothing, he eyes simply fixed on his. To his surprise, he felt tears prick at his eyes, burning at the bridge of his nose. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried.

"You were right," he murmured to her, choked. "About everything."

Once again, she remained silent. Elina had always known what he did and didn't want to hear, when to talk and when to say nothing. Ignoring the sound of Merwyn mocking behind him, he shut the portrait behind him and stepped into the cramped space. The space smelled like jasmine: like Elina.

"I was such an idiot, El. I was so, so stupid. She was slipping me Amortentia the whole time to make me obsess about her. It wasn't real, none of it was."

"Shh, shh. It's okay."

Elina crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him, the way she used to. The familiar feel of her against him was what made him crack: letting his head fall into the crook of her neck, he sobbed against her. As she kissed the top of his head, he heard the sound of her crying as well and slipped his arm around her slender waist. The fair boy and the dark girl wept together into the night, locked together in an embrace so tight, it seemed they would never let go.

**Chapter 13- Fred Weasley**

The Saturday stretched before him, empty, and he couldn't seem to track down a single friend to spend it with. He'd searched through the common room, the library, the dormitory and even the Quidditch pitch, but to no avail. It was in the last place he looked, in front of the bust of Albus Dumbledore, where he found Teddy, who was frantically trying to pull away a bad-tempered Victoire.

"Come on, Vicky. We aren't meant to go in there, I told you. Fred and James would kill me."

"Only for a second! We could sit, have a little picnic…" She nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "Get a little privacy."

Fred watched Teddy swallow. "We can't. They'd never let me live it down."

"They wouldn't know, not even. I'd never tell, you know that. Oh please, Teddy, please? Just to make me happy?" "I want to, but I can't. They really wouldn't be happy about it. I promised I'd never tell anyone about this place."

"But you never promised you wouldn't take anyone inside, did you? Besides, you already broke your promise, so one more wouldn't make any difference. Please, Teddy Bear? Just because you love me?"

"Well, I suppose…"

"Victoire. Teddy Bear," greeted Fred, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Fred!" exclaimed Teddy as Victoire crossed her arms sulkily across her chest.

"What's happening over here? You wouldn't be letting Victoire inside our super-secret room, would you?"

Victoire pulled her arm away from Teddy and sidled up to Fred, batting her eyes. "Freddie, you wouldn't mind if I stepped inside your special room? Just for a minute, just to take a look at what's inside?"

"I'm your cousin, Vicks, that sort of thing doesn't work with me."

"Please?" she whined with a stamp of her foot.

"Fred, would it really hurt if she was only inside for a moment? She wouldn't damage it or anything."

"Tell me, Teddy, is it difficult to stand without a spine?"

The three of them jumped when the wooden base they were standing in front of creaked open, interrupting their conversation. In the crack of light that appeared, James' face materialised, his nose clearly broken and dried blood covering his mouth and chin, even splattered all over his shirt. He blinked up at them, bewildered.

"What's happening?" he asked, his torso making its way out behind the doorway.

"Absolutely nothing," replied Teddy quickly. "Vicky and I were just…saying goodbye. Good-bye darling."

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, avoiding her sharp glare and pushed his way inside of the room. Victoire looked pleadingly at Fred, who simply shook his head at her with a roll of his eyes.

"See you later, cus," he said to her good-naturedly, scoffing as she stormed away. He followed Teddy into the small room, closing the door behind him as his eyes accustomed to the dim light. James was gingerly mopping himself up with some cloth he'd torn from his sleeve and soaked in water. Fred immediately turned himself to Teddy, who was searching through their stocks of food.

"How is it," complained Teddy, "that there is not a single piece of pie in this entire room? We must have emptied the entire kitchen, and yet the only thing I want isn't here. Just my luck."

"I don't know. Here's a better question. How is it that even after all this time, you still have absolutely no idea how to say no to Victoire?"

"That's not true. I didn't let her in here, did I?"

"Please, if she'd asked for one of your kidneys, you'd yank it out of your chest and give it to her."

"Your kidney isn't in your chest, idiot, it's…"

"Hello!" interjected James, almost all the blood gone from his face. "Bleeding friend over here! Not going ask what happened, are we?"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Teddy said dismissively. "You're bleeding, we all weep for you. _Episky!_"

With a loud, painful sounding crack, James' nose snapped back into its ordinary place, causing him to let out a low hiss of pain. Satisfied, Teddy turned back to Fred.

"Your kidney is in your lower abdomen, towards the back. It's near where your hip is."

"Alright then. If Victoire asked for one of your kidneys, you'd yank it out of your lower abdomen, towards the back, and give it to her all gift wrapped in a pretty pink bow. Happy?"

"Yes. Still completely untrue of course, but at least it's anatomically accurate."

"You two are the worst friends ever," accused James, feeling his repaired nose. "Don't you even care to know why I'm injured?"

"You're right James. I'm so very sorry," said Fred, deadpan. "So tell us, why are you injured?"

Teddy jumped up and down, his hand shooting up as though he were answering a question in class. "Ooh! Me, me, pick me!"

Fred stroked his chin, miming thought. "Hmm…Mr Lupin?"

He dropped his hand by his side, thrusting his chin out in confidence. "Goyle."

"Very good, young Lupin" praised James. "Although, not the Goyle one would expect to be responsible for such a job."

"Mini Goyle?" asked Fred in surprise. "I didn't think she had it in her."

"Neither did I. But she jumped me outside the common room and punched me in the face without saying anything to me at all. Now, call me crazy, but I think there's a _chance _she might know about the whole Scorpius- Rose- Amortentia thing."

"Yeah. What tipped you off?" asked Teddy dryly before Fred elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

"Didn't Rose talk to you?" asked Fred, surprised.

"No. From that I will assume that she spoke to you?"

"It turns out Scorpius got sick from going cold turkey on the Amortentia after such a long time. Rose had to tell him everything since he was rolling in agony on the grounds. He's not the happiest boy in the land, it would seem."

With a groan, James raked his fingers through his dark, mussed hair. "God, that girl is terrible under pressure. Remind me to never trust her again for as long as I live."

"Maybe that's a sign. You know, that you shouldn't enlist your fifteen year old cousin to take part in your nefarious plots."

"Food for thought. Anyway, my beautiful face is dented, my pride is in tatters and I'm fairly sure that mini Goyle is going to tell everyone that I'm a colossal asshole. So, if you could both cease this fascinating little discussion on the location of the liver…"

"Kidney," corrected Teddy.

"Kidney, liver, whatever. Any thoughts on the train wreck my life has become? Advice, offers of help, anything? Even criticism might be helpful at this point."

"You know, James, she might not tell anyone. Maybe just socking you in the face was satisfaction enough," suggested Fred helpfully. The glare he received from James made him hold up his hands in surrender. "Or maybe not."

"Well?" pushed Teddy. "Has she told anyone?"

"I don't know. I don't know what's happening at all, really. I don't know how many people know, I don't know how mad Rosie is, I don't even know if Elina and Scorpius are together or not."

"Do you care?" Teddy's eyes were sparkling.

"Well, it is slightly important who knows, wouldn't you say? I think it's probably breaking school rules to slip people potion. I could get expelled and I would not like to face my mother if I got expelled. She might strangle me."

"I mean about Elina dating Scorpius. It bothers you, doesn't it? Because you _loooove_ her." Teddy drew out the world into several syllables, enjoying the moment.

"Shut up Theodore. Of course I don't."

"Yes you do!" Teddy laughed ecstatically before talking in a high-pitched sing-song voice. "You looove her. You want to kiiiiss her. You want to daaaate her."

James pushed the doorway open. "That's it. Out."

"Ah, come on James, I'm only having a little fun."

"Go track Victoire down before she trashes all my stuff, okay? Whenever she's mad she takes it upon herself to destroy everything I own."

With a roll of his eyes, Teddy started out the door.

"You know it's true, James," he remarked over his shoulder with an enormous grin that stretched over half his face.

"Whatever you say."

"You can't run from your heart forever!" called Teddy as James slammed the door on him. Turning towards the end of the room, he collapsed into the pile of pillows.

"Every-flavoured bean?" asked Fred, offering a carton of them towards James, who shook his head.

"I have no time for sweets. What am I going to do?" asked James. Fred was surprised to hear that there was not a hint of joviality in James' voice. He was deadly serious.

"Well, I guess there isn't anything you can do at this point but sit tight and hope for the best. There's a chance that Goyle and Malfoy will just be happy together and never bring this up again."

"Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening?"

Fred settled himself next to his friend, unsure what to say. "At least your nose isn't broken anymore," he joked half-heartedly. James didn't react. There was a look on his face that Fred hadn't seen in a long time, a look that scared him.

"Why do I do stuff like this, Fred?" he asked flatly. "I think it'll be fun to mess with people. And it is, for a while. But then everything blows up in my face and goes to hell. I never learn though. Why do I keep hurting people?"

"Oh James." Fred felt terrible. "At least it's over now. You know Rose will forgive you eventually."

"Elina won't."

"Well, probably not. But that doesn't matter does it?"

"Yeah, you're right, it doesn't," said James unconvincingly. "Hey, Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you put up with me?"

"Hey now," shifted Fred, uncomfortably. "Don't be a prat."

"I mean it. I always pull you into these plans and don't listen to any of your advice until I need you to help me out. You should just tell me to piss off."

"Yeah, but that's the James Potter method. Mess up with great confidence and then beg for help with great eloquence. Fails every time, but it's always fun."

"Yeah, I guess."

The dead look hadn't left James' eyes. It had been years since it'd been there and Fred couldn't stand it a moment longer.

"Alright, James. Tell me what's wrong before I beat it out of you."

"If I ask you a question, will you answer me honestly?"

"Yes, of course. That's my job. Teddy's the lovesick, sensitive friend, you're the reckless friend and I'm the honest friend."

"Did I kill Al?"

The question was so sudden, so shocking, that Fred spluttered. "Wha…What?"

"He was only out there because of me and that stupid prank I was trying to pull. And I know I tried to pull him out of the water, but I couldn't stay under there long enough to get him out. I…I had to breathe and the Grindylows wouldn't let go. I didn't know enough spells."

"James, no one blames you." Fred spoke rapidly, the words rolling over themselves in their effort to be spoken. "God, how could it possibly be your fault? You were only in your third year, you didn't know how to fight off Grindylows."

"You know, in his third year, my dad fought off death eaters. Not to mention a werewolf and an escaped Animagus and about a hundred dementors."

"Well, you're not your dad."

"That's for damn sure."

"No one your age could have saved him, you know that. Even if you'd gone inside to get help, they couldn't have gotten to him in time. There was nothing you could have done to get him free."

"I bet Rose could have done it. Or Victoire, or Teddy or even you. If anyone else had been there, they'd have pulled him out."

"Stop it. Don't do this to yourself."

"It's not like I've changed, has it? I still screw people over and hurt people I barely even know. I even hurt Rose, who's too sweet to say no to me."

Fred looked at James for a second, deciding what to do. With a sudden idea, he struck James upside the head, right where he'd hit the Quidditch pitch.

"Hey! I'm broken back there!"

"Snap out of it. You didn't kill anyone, you know that. You did everything you could have, sometimes things go badly no matter what you do. And so what if your pranks don't always end in sunshine and rainbows? It's not like you set out to hurt people, it just happens."

"I'm not the luckiest bugger, am I?"

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and fix it. Apologise to Elina and Scorpius and Rose and whoever else you've hurt. Do whatever it takes to make amends instead of just simmering in your own unhappiness."

"I like simmering in my own unhappiness," whined James but Fred saw the corners of his mouth turn upwards.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you eventually."

"Rosie? Yeah I imagine she probably will. She's always cut me far more slack than I deserved."

"No." Fred nudged his friend playfully. "I meant mini Goyle."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Even in the muted light, Fred saw James blush.

"Oh come on. If you liked her any more, you'd turn into Scorpius."

"Well that would be good, since she's probably dating him right now. And she's apparently not all that fond of me, judging my all this." James gestured at the specks of blood that covered the front his worn grey shirt.

"You can't really blame her, can you?"

"I guess not."

"So what? When has the contempt and sheer hatred of a girl stopped the great James Potter from seducing her?"

"True, very true. My excessive natural charm and charisma do seem to overshadow my stupid life decisions."

"There's the Potter we all know and love. Now go drown that girl in a tidal wave of charm and charisma until she's yours."

"And Scorpius?"

"Scorpius, Shmorpius. Besides, I'm not saying she'll fall into your arms, swooning, but she might forgive you. That's something, at least."

"Well, it's better than nothing."

James pulled himself to his feet, using the blood-soaked cloth to try to clean the spots that still darkened his shirt.

"Hint: you might want to clean up first."

"Really? I thought I'd go for the wounded hero look. You know, let my vulnerability be appealing to her.

"I don't think it qualifies as the wounded hero look when the damsel in distress is the one who punched you in the face."

"Well, I intend to overcome that with my incredible powers of beauty and eloquence. Wish me luck."

James clucked his tongue at Fred as he pushed the door open.

"James?"

"What?"

Fred picked up James' wand, which was still glowing on the floor. "You forgot this." He levelled the wand through the air as James' hand shot out to snatch it.

"Thanks, Fred. For everything."

" Ah, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I live to serve."

Fred swept into a low, sarcastic bow. Mockingly, James responded with a neat curtsy. "My lord," he said in a falsetto, exiting the room and leaving Fred standing alone in the dark. Throwing a handful of flavoured beans in his mouth and gagging at the sudden explosion of horrible flavours, he reached for his History of Magic textbook and started to study, his wand light in one hand and a bagful of sweets in the other.

…..

After a couple of hours enclosed in the dark room, Fred was thankful to have a change to see the sunlight and stretch his legs. He made his was leisurely down to the grounds, trying frantically to remember what he'd been reading. It was no use: Fred had no ability to learn things he didn't care about. There were days when he wondered if he'd manage even a single NEWT. Giving up, he wondered if James had managed to track down Elina yet; he couldn't imagine that conversation going very well. James had dated plenty of girls in his time, but he'd never had to chase after one in his life. Fred wasn't even certain he knew how it was done.

He was halfway down the stairs when he heard the sound of angered quarrelling. For a moment, he thought it was Teddy and Victoire, but he soon recognised the difference in their voices. Leaning over the barrier, he saw Jenna Dolohov and Vincent Goyle arguing in harsh, heated tones.

"He's only a boy, Vince. If you go after him like this, you'll get expelled for sure."

"A boy who hurt my sister. She's only got me to look out for her, it's my job as her big brother..."

"It wasn't fair of you to duel with him in the first place! He doesn't know the same spells you do, it's not right."

"What does Malfoy know about being fair?"

"He's a good kid. And, above that, he's my friend."

"Yeah, that reminds me. I don't want you talking to him anymore. That little rat's done enough, I don't need him in your thick head as well."

"I can pick my own friends."

"Evidently not."

"It is not your job to take care of me anymore, Vince. Who I chose to hand out with is absolutely none of your business. I like Scorpius and if I want to spend some time with him, I will."

"You stupid cow. Do I have to do everything for you since you're too useless to control your own life? Clearly, you need me, if these are the sort of people you want to spend time with." She glanced away, disgusted, as he sidled right beside her, his breath in her face.

Fred felt a rush of rage sink to the pits of his stomach. "Goyle!" he roared, his voice carrying impressively through the stairs. "Leave her alone."

The couple looked up, surprised.

"Weasley," said Jenna brightly with a small smile. "We really do have to stop meeting like this." Glancing at her face, he noticed a ripe bruise forming over her eye. His rage bubbled, razor sharp with hatred.

"Did you hit her?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"She fell," growled Goyle darkly, his lip curling.

"Liar," snarled Fred, drawing his wand. Goyle copied the gesture and Jenna jumped out angrily taking the space between the two.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Put those down! Put them down _now,_" she ordered in a voice crafted of steel. The boys sheepishly obeyed, lowering their wand to their sides. "I will not have you two duelling in the middle of the corridor like children with toy wands. Behave yourselves, the both of you."

"He hit you," started Fred, but Jenna shushed him with a wave of her hand.

"Vincent, we'll talk later. Go." Goyle simply stared at her with his watery, piggish eyes. "Go!" He stepped close, looming over her.

"I don't take orders from stupid little girls."

Jenna lifted her chin "We'll talk later," she hissed, her eyes flashing. With a glare, Goyle relented, making his way down the stairs with one eye fixed on Fred. The look in his eyes scared Fred more than he let on, but he made an effort to smirk at his fading, enormous shape.

"You didn't have to do that," Jenna told him, gripping her elbows nervously. Her eyes blinked nervously, fair strands of hair blowing into her face.

"You broke up with him then, I take it?"

"What tipped you off?" she laughed a little, but there was no mirth in it.

"The bruise, actually." Without thinking, he reached out to brush it lightly with the tips of his fingers. He couldn't possibly have hurt her, but she sucked in her breath.

"He didn't hit me." Fred raised his eyebrows sceptically. "No really, he didn't. He was angry, he shoved me a little and I tripped, that's all. Goyle would never actually punch me, he wouldn't dare."

"Don't defend him. He's an arse."

"He is, isn't he?"

"You're well to be rid of him."

"Yeah, I know I am." She smiled. "I always seem to run into you at the most opportune moments."

"I would have saved you, you know. Had he wanted to fight, I mean."

"Oh really?"

"Goyle's a lucky guy. Had he stayed a moment longer, I would have been forced to destroy him with my carefully cultivated spell-casting skills."

"Maybe next time."

"Let's hope so." He noticed the state of her bag, which was almost splitting at the seams, it was so filled with books. "Do you want me to carry those for you? There's room in my bag and yours is about a second away from breaking."

"It seems you're unaware of a charming little movement that goes by the name of feminism. I can carry my own books."

"And people wondered what happened to chivalry."

"An out-dated concept, I'm afraid."

"And pushing your girlfriend over so she hits her head? That's the charming sort of behaviour a girl expects?" Fred couldn't stop bitterness from creeping its way into his tone. Jenna chucked.

"Actually, that's the easiest way to find yourself lonely and with a fat lip. I'd bear that in mind if I were you. You know, just in case you were planning to follow down the path of Goyle."

"He's an idiot," blurted Fred, feeling himself turn red. Jenna blushed as well, her blond braid falling over her shoulder.

"Thanks," she answered awkwardly. "I should probably…"

'Would you like to…" started Fred at the same time. Filled with self-loathing, he gestured for her to speak.

"No, it's fine. You go," she answered, her cheeks still burning.

"I was just going to say…um, I was going for a walk on the grounds. If you're not busy…" _God, could you sound any more stupid? Stop blushing! Stop it now!_

"You know what?" Jenna took the coat that was hanging over her arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I would really like that."

"You would?"

"Yeah, I would. I mean so long as you don't try and open any doors for me or anything like that," she winked, her brown eyes shining mischievously. Fred felt almost numb with shock and happiness.

"Really? I assumed your conditions would be somewhere along the lines of 'yes, so long as you don't hit me in the face.'"

"I told you, Vincent didn't ever hit me. No one hits me. Besides, I know you wouldn't do that."

Fred wondered if it was possible for him to turn any more red. "You're right, I wouldn't."

He jumped as she tried to slip her hand into his and she pulled back instantly.

"Sorry," they both mumbled simultaneously. She laughed softly and it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard in his life.

"Come on, Weasley. Let's go."

Taking him by the arm, she led him down to the grounds, down to when the grass vanished beneath the surface of the black waters of the Great Lake. The afternoon wore on, punctuated with their conversation and laughter. In those moments, Fred understood why James was so upset over Elina, why Teddy made just a fool of himself around Victoire. That afternoon, for the very first time, Fred considered the possibility that he might actually be capable of falling madly, obsessively in love.

**Chapter 14- James Potter**

"You can do this. You can absolutely do this. Just breathe, and it'll be good."

James desperately tried to calm himself, counting to ten and back down again in an effort to steady his rapid breathing. The dungeons that surrounded the Slytherin common room were dark and damp, and he could help but be thankful he had been placed in Gryffindor. He waited for a Slytherin student to appear, to no avail for the longest time. The waiting did nothing to help with James' nerves and worry was an emotion he was neither used to nor comfortable with. He paced until his patience was eventually rewarded with a young Asian girl with flowing green robes that matched her House colours.

"Excuse me?"

The girl descended into flirty giggles, her eyelashes batting so frantically he wondered momentarily if she was going pass out. "Yes?" The word barely managed to squeeze out between all her titters. James restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

"Do you know Elina Goyle?"

The girl's face fell, but she still made an effort to peer through her eyelashes in a way she clearly thought made her look sexy. It actually made her look rather strained. "Yeah, I know her. Why?"

"Do you think you could just take a look about and see if she's in the common room? I need to talk to her but I'm not allowed in."

"Oh." The girl pouted in a failed attempt to look seductive.

"Just, if you see her, could you tell her that someone wants to see her?"

"Who should I say wants to see her?"

"Um…Maybe names aren't the best idea. Just tell her someone's here to see her, she might not come out otherwise."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "I think I should probably give her a name."

"Alright then. James, James Potter."

"You're James Potter?" The girl's eyes sparkled and she sidled up to him, so close he almost choked on the scent of her thick, powdery perfume. "I've heard all about you. You're the chosen one's son aren't you?"

James disentangled himself. "Yeah, I'm Chosen One Jr. Could you please you see if Elina's in there?"

The girl mumbled a few incoherent words and James' brow furrowed.

"What?"

The wall of decorative skulls slowly swung open, leaving a gaping doorway.

"I'll take a look," she promised, climbing inside. For a moment, James considered following her, but the wall closed again before he could enter. Resuming his nervous pacing, he fought to steady his breathing and his racing heart, both of which were making him feel a little ill. Without even meaning to, he started talking to himself in a soothing voice in an effort to calm down.

"It's okay, it's fine. Just tell her the truth and everything will be okay. Just take deep breaths and calm…" James came to a halt when the wall slid open once more and the Asian girl poked her head out.

"She doesn't want to see you." Any warmth that had been there previously had dissipated from her tone and her gaze had turned icy. "I can't say I'm surprised. She told me what you did."

"Come on, if I could just talk to her…"

"I don't think so." She started to close the door, but James stepped forwards.

"Can I just come inside? It'll just take a second."

"Slytherins only. Sorry."

The doorway closed, leaving James to release a string of swear words his uncle Ron would have been proud of. Raging, he roared through the wall, unsure if she could hear him no matter how loudly he screamed.

"Elina! I'm not leaving, do you hear? I'm staying here until you drag your goddamn butt out here so I can apologise! Got it?" He kicked the wall for good measure, huffing with annoyance. "Good apologising there, James," he sighed to himself. "That was great. That was really smooth."

For the next two hours, James stayed true to his word, waiting outside the Slytherin common room in growing frustration. He asked every person who tried to enter the common room to bring a message to Elina, but was rejected every time. In his exasperation, he raked his fingers through his dark hair and kicked at the wall repeatedly, ignoring the growing pain in his foot. At the end of the second hour, James snapped.

"That's it."

Drawing his wand, he grabbed one of the skulls that sat upon the decorative shelves and pointed his wand at it. He jumped when the jaw of bone started to move.

"I say! What do you think you're doing, boy?" The skull's voice was low and rich, the voice of an aristocrat.

"Oh! I'm sorry." James almost dropped the skull, his grip going slack in his surprise. "I didn't…I didn't realise you talked."

"Well, we don't have much to say. Would you care to put me down now, if it's not too much trouble?"

"I would, but…do you mind if I transfigure you really quickly? Just for a second, I'd change you straight back."

"What would you transfigure me into, dear boy? Not some crass object, I would hope."

"I need to get this girl to talk to me. Please."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" The skull's grimace almost looked like a smile. "For the love of a good woman, there is nothing a man shouldn't do. Just be sure to make it brief, won't you?"

"I don't love…never mind. Thank you. Sir," added James quickly, pointing his wand at the skull's nose and thinking of a spell. A sudden heaviness weighed down his arm and he opened his eyes to find that his grip was filled with a guitar, made of beautiful pale grain. He grinned at it, slinging the cord of the instrument around his neck and resting the weight of it against his knee. Pointing his wand at the strings of the guitar, he muttered "_Sonorus_," and watched as a thin ribbon of magic wove around the handle of the instrument, snaking its way around each of the strings.

James began to strum manically on the guitar, not even nothing to attempt to play notes or chords. He'd never held a guitar in his life, much less played one. However, he remembered having seen a Muggle movie once that his aunt Hermione had shown him in which the boy had begun to play the guitar to win back some girl he'd hurt. James' plan was more or less the opposite: the sound coming from his guitar was so horrific, so ear-splitting, that she would have to come out and talk to him or risk going insane. The spell magnified the sound, making it reverberate around the stone walls like stones skipping across a lake. After a few moments, James started to enjoy himself, plucking at the strings with great enthusiasm. The sound was so immense that he didn't hear the sound of him being yelled out until it reached an enraged shriek. James looked up, the guitar falling silent in his hands, to see a group of tall sixth year boys with red, angry faces.

"Hey, mate, could you shut up? People are actually trying to work in here."

"Yeah sure, I'll stop."

"Great, thanks."

They started to retreat into their common room, but James called out to stop them. "I'll stop when Elina Goyle comes out and talks to me."

"Oh, yeah, we heard about that. Sorry to break it to you, but I don't think she's going to talk to you. So can you stop that bloody noise?"

"Not until she comes out."

James dragged his fingertips across the strings, causing an unpleasant sound that raised goose bumps on his neck and arms. The boys sighed in exasperation as James continued to jam happily on his grotesque-sounding instrument. In a matter of seconds, the boys had reappeared, dragging a very grudging Elina with them. They pushed her out through the doorway and James dropped the guitar, which hit the ground with a loud clang.

"Are you done?" huffed one of the boys.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," James called after them as they slammed the door, He turned to Elina, who levelled a frozen glare at him. "Nice guys," he commented feebly.

"What the hell do you want?" Elina's tone was not encouraging. "Did you not take the hint that I didn't want to talk to you?"

"Yeah, well, I need to talk to you."

"If I hadn't promised Scorpius I wouldn't punch you again, your face would be in some serious trouble. Know that."

"Duly noted. Okay, so um… here we go…"

"You've been here for two hours making that hideous racket and the best you can come up with is 'Okay, um, here we go'?"

"I'm trying to apologise to you! God, could you be more annoying?"

"Well, you're doing a wonderful job."

"Can you just shut up for once?" James took a deep, calming breath and started again. "So, I take it you know what I did."

"James, I don't have the time or the patience to put up with this. What do you want?"

"Look, I just wanted to say I was sorry. I was an idiot and an ass and I know you're probably going to be mad at me forever, but that doesn't mean I'm not sorry."

"Oh you're _sorry_?" Elina's sarcasm was harsh and biting. "Well, why didn't you say so? Well, doesn't that just fix everything? I wouldn't have wasted all that time being mad at you if I'd known you were sorry."

"I didn't think it would end up like this. I didn't think at all."

"Don't give me that. Look, I get it. You made your point. Anyone who crosses the great and mighty James Potter must pay the price. Consider your lesson taught." She lowered her head in a mock bow, a look of disgust plastered on her face. "Thank you for educating me."

She turned to walk back into the common room, but James grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me," she snarled, pulling her arm back.

"I do stupid stuff sometimes. Do you know how much I wanted to stop the plan when I realised you weren't how I thought you were?"

"Oh how sweet."

"Can you just stop with the sarcasm for one second?" snapped James, losing his temper despite himself. Elina's jaw was set and her arms were crossed firmly across her chest, but at least she was listening. "I wanted to stop giving Scorpius the potion, I did. But my friends, who I hate by the way, told me I couldn't because all these rumours would start and she's my cousin, you know? I love her and all that…" James was aware that he was babbling and grinded to a stop. Elina cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you done?"

"I think I might be."

"Good. Now, you listen to me." Elina stepped closer and James was momentarily distracted by the intoxicating smell of her. "You are a pathetic, disgusting rat who takes pleasure in ruining people's lives."

"Hey, now…"

"Shut up, I'm talking now. You know, for a little while, you almost had me convinced that you were a decent human being. I thought there might actually be something real under all your shallowness and ego. But as it turns out, under all the shallowness and ego, there's just more shallowness and ego, isn't there? The truth is, I said one thing you didn't want to hear and you took it upon yourself to take away anything you thought mattered to me. You didn't even know me. I mean, are you that screwed up that you can't hear the tiniest bit of criticism without going completely insane?"

"Said the pot to the kettle."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you aren't the sanest puppy in the litter either."

"Yeah, you almost had me convinced about that too. That we were similar and all that. But as it turns out, there's a very drastic difference between the two of us. You see, I may have some anger issues that come back to haunt me, but at least I hit people from the front. I don't plan to, it just happens and there's no malice or cunning behind it. You, on the other hand, scheme and plot and stab people in the back when they least expect it."

"But at least I'm here right? At least I'm trying to fix this."

"Please, you aren't trying to fix this. You just want me to forgive you so that you can soothe your guilty conscience and go back to your casual, destructive life. You're just being selfish, like you always are."

"Maybe I'm trying to change!"

"It's a bit late for that."

"Everything's back to normal now, right? Scorpius isn't in love with Rose anymore, so the two of you are free to get back together. It's like nothing ever happened!"

"Of course it's not like nothing ever happened! Things like that don't just go away in the blink of an eye. This isn't something you can just charm your way out of."

"Well, that's the last time I ask Fred for advice," muttered James to himself. He didn't understand how Elina managed to slip under his skin, irritating and wonderful at the same time. She didn't appear to feel the same way, as her face was still cold and closed, puckered in anger. "Elina, I need you to understand."

"What is there to understand? You drugged my boyfriend to fall in love with your cousin. Do you even hear how twisted it sounds?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" James heard his voice rising. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I wanted to stop this stupid plan like five days in, when I realised that you're kind and funny and smart and…" James shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is I was trying to fix all of this and I ended up just making it worse. Tell me how to make it up to you and I'll do it. I'll clean your dormitory, I'll take your OWLs, I don't care what it is, I'll do it. I just need to you forgive me."

'Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Well, I think you demonstrated pretty damn clearly that my opinions and feelings don't matter to you. So why do you care if I'm angry or not? Wasn't making me unhappy the whole point of your little _lesson_?" She emphasised the word lesson bitterly, her arms still folded tightly.

"I care because…"

"Because you're a selfish, stupid little boy who doesn't care about anybody but himself, is that it?"

"Because I love you." At that moment, James honestly wanted nothing more than to punch himself in the face. "I mean I like you. I care about you, I mean. I'm not sure what I mean. I…I sort of love you, I suppose."

For an endless moment, Elina just stared at him, her blue eyes blank. James' heart thudded in his chest, the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears. Then she laughed. Her laugh was high and slightly hysterical, shaking her entire body with its force. When it finally died away, he saw there were tears of mirth in her eyes.

"God, don't you ever stop?" she asked, still chuckling. "I feel sorry for you, really I do. Maybe for once you should try not trying to mess with people. Just for a day or something, just to see what it's like."

"I'm not messing with you."

"In that case, you clearly have a very screwed up view of love. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the matter, but I'm fairly sure that love isn't the same thing as trying as hard as possible to hurt someone."

"Weren't you listening? I was only trying to hurt you in the beginning, the rest of the time I was trying to fix it…"

"Oh stop it. Just stop. You don't care about me, you don't care about anyone. Scorpius told me you lied to Rose and told her I threatened Lily. I'd never touch her, you know that."

"Well…I…I had to get her on my side, she didn't like the plan."

"Yeah, maybe because she's a normal human with an actual conscience." Elina shook her head. "Seriously, Potter. Just let it alone."

"Wait!" James felt an odd flurry of panic bubbling in his throat. "You can stand there and say those things about me, but I know you don't believe them. I know you like me too. And you know what? You will never find someone who understands you like I do. As much as you say we aren't similar, we are. That's unescapable."

"I did." James wasn't sure if she'd heard her correctly.

"What?"

"I said, I did." She separated each word clearly as though he were stupid. "I did like you, despite the fact that I knew you were a slimy little bastard. And yet it seems my poor judge of character is as terrible as ever."

She offered him a flat watery smile and he could clearly see that she was getting close to tears. He tried to reach out towards her but she dodged him.

"Elina."

"Save it." She ducked her head so that her dark waves of hair fell into her face, not quite able to cover her tears. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cry now. And I _really_ don't want to cry in front of you."

As she turned away, he was hit with the scent of her hair, so familiar and floral. It took him a moment to place where he'd smelled it before, but the memory suddenly struck him. It was the smell of Amortentia, the odour he hadn't been able to recognise. As he watched Elina turn away, he wanted to call her back and comfort her, but didn't know what he could possibly say. He clamped him hands over his face and let out a low groan, sinking into an awkward crouch on the ground as he revelled in how badly that had gone.

"Potter."

He looked up to see Elina standing in the doorway, the black of her makeup starting to stain the pale skin beneath her eyes.

"Elina, I…"

"If you so much as touch that guitar again, I cannot be held responsible for my actions. In fact…."

She drew her wand and levelled it at the instrument, but James jumped in front of it.

"Wait, don't!"

"I'd be happy to destroy you as well, if that's what you'd like."

"Don't. It's one of the skulls, I just transfigured it to get you out here, I said I'd change him back."

With a wave of her wand, the wooden guitar turned back into polished bone, its imposing shape shrinking to the ugly, grimacing skull once more.

"Thanks," said James quietly, raising himself from his crouch as an afterthought.

"Just trying to minimise the lives you ruin," she replied coolly as she turned back into the common room. The wall-doorway slammed behind her, the skulls rattling in her wake. After a moment of reflection on how badly that had gone, James bent down to pick up the newly transfigured skull, whose jaw began to leap the moment it touched James' skin.

"That didn't go quite as well as you'd planned, did it now?"

"No, it did not," sighed James. "Ah well. Plenty more fish in the sea, right?" He made an effort to stay calm, swallowing his hurt and rage. He'd never been too skilled at concealing his emotions.

"On the contrary, my dear fellow! Faint heart never won fair lady."

"Okay, now we're just sprouting clichés at each other."

"How do you think they become clichés? Because they're true." The skull rolled itself in James' grip, turning to face him. "If you really do care about that girl, you've got to find a way to prove it to her."

"She wants me to leave her alone. That's probably the best I can do right now, right? I mean, she and Scorpius have probably gone right back to where they started, all lovey-dovey and all that stuff."

"You can't expect to get the girl if you just give up! You need to fight for what you believe in. In my day, there'd be a kind of duel or a sacrifice and then the girl would simply fall into your arms."

"So this is the point I've reached in my life. I'm taking relationship advice from a talking skull."

James placed the skull back on its place in the decorative wall of the door of the Slytherin common room.

"Before you try to win over any fair maidens with your beautiful music, I'd consider taking a few guitar lessons."

"I'll consider it."

James made his way up to the Gryffindor Common rooms, not even bothering to bully the young Slytherins he met on his way. He had an overwhelming urge to kick everything he saw, but managed to keep it contained. His temper remained cool until he reached the Fat Lady, who was combing out her stringy hair and singing an aria that must have sounded even worse than his guitar playing.

"Amor Juevenis."

"I'm afraid not dear."

"What? No, you can't possibly have changed it. I only left a few hours ago!"

"A few hours is plenty of time to change a password."

"No, I am not putting up with this again. Let me in. Let me in right now."

"Tut tut. Manners, children, manners."

"No!" The Fat Lady startled at the sound of his voice. "I have just spent hours waiting outside a girl's common room just so she could step outside and spit in my face and then got told that I'm a coward by a stupid talking skull. You know who I am, you've known me six years. I will not wait for another minute, do you understand? Not another second! Now let me in, or I swear, one night when you're fast asleep I'll sneak down here and paint a man-eating wolf into the painting with you."

James gasped for breath and the Fat Lady stared at him for a moment, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, alright dear," she said softly as the portrait swung open. "If you feel that strongly about it, I suppose."

"What's the ma'er with 'im?" came the voice of an Irish innkeeper in a painting of a farm a little way down the corridor.

"Girl trouble," the Fat Lady called back.

"Aye, is't that always the way. Yer keep yer chin up, me boy!" called the painting as James slammed the door shut, narrowly missing catching his fingers in the doorway. He was looking forward to some much deserved silence when he was cornered by Teddy and Victoire, who must have been waiting by the portrait hole.

"Tell us everything."

"Did it work? Does she love you?"

"Of course she loves him, look at him!" Victoire smacked a kiss on James' cheek. "Oh Jamesey, I'm so proud of you?"

"How did it go? Tell us!"

"Who told you?" asked James flatly. He hoped his tone would convey his unhappiness, but the couple were too oblivious to notice.

"Fred told us you'd gone to tell Elina you like her!"

"He's only just come back. You won't believe who he spent the afternoon with!"

"One piece of gossip at a time, Vicks."

"You're right, you're right. I'm just so excited!" Victoire emitted small squealing sounds that reminded James of a pig. He looked at her, deadpan.

"Look at my face," he told them. "Is this a face that says it went well?"

Teddy faltered. "So…she doesn't completely adore you?"

"Shove off, both of you."

He tried to push past them, but they kept up. Victoire tried in vain to wrap her arms around him, but he managed to fight her off.

"Cut it out, I'm fine."

"Of course you aren't. Your heart must be broken into a million pieces." James stood, stiff as a board, as Victoire clung onto him desperately.

"Darling, maybe you should…" began Teddy, but Victoire was not about to be put off. She relished these moments of drama.

"Your first true love, torn away from you by your own pride!" she cried tragically. "It's just too much to bear. To think of you, pouring your heart out to her…"

"Yes, Vicky."

"Bearing your soul before her…"

"Yes, we know, Vicky."

"Vulnerable as a child…"

"Okay, we get it!"

Victoire drew back, trying as hard as she could to look like she was suppressing tears. "I'm sorry, it's just so horrible."

James patted her on the back. "Yes, yes, I know. My bad luck is very hard on you. Teddy, go find her some sort of stage to stand on and a microphone to wail into, I don't think enough people are privy to this moment."

Teddy didn't even give James a shove, simply looking at him dolefully as he led Victoire away. As James turned to make his way to the dormitory, he was stopped short in his tracks by Victoire's high pitched cry. In fact, most of the common room was.

"James, don't go up there!"

"Victoire. I'm tired, I'm angry, and I'm having a really bad day. Whatever you need my attention for can wait a few hours."

"Just, don't go upstairs."

"Oh did you do?"

"I…I was mad at you about your silly little room, okay? I'm sorry, I'll go clean it up right now, you'll never have to see."

"It's fine."

"No, really, I can…"

"I said it's fine!" yelled James, flaring with anger. Victoire retreated as James stopped up to his dormitory, cursing when he saw the state of his room. His belongings were spread everywhere, his clothing in a flurried mess across his bed and floor. Several of his socks had fallen into the water jug and lay, submerged. On the top of the mess lay a small note of torn parchment, written in Vintoire's cursive, loopy handwriting.

_James,_

_You see, I can still get into your secret rooms._

_Maybe next time you won't be so immature._

_Hugs and Kisses_

_Victoire x_

_Ps: Teddy said that sometimes, you're a manipulative idiot. I'm not making that up, either, it truly happened._

James balled the note in his fist and fell back on his bed, laying atop the rumbled clothes and solid books that dug into his back. He couldn't seem to find the energy or the drive to clean up the mess that lay beneath him, no matter how much pain he was in. Despite the early hour, he closed his eyes and forced himself to fall into a dreamless sleep, where there was no Elina, no Victoire, not even himself. It was an empty sort of paradise.

**Chapter 15-Lily Potter**

Professor Weasley rolled his eyes at Lily, trying to be patient as she struggled with her spell. Her uncle had told her firmly that there would be no preferential treatment, but he still cut her a little more slack than the rest of the students. She wasn't sure if it was because she was his niece or simply because she was the least talented student in the class.

"Come on, Lils…I mean, Miss Potter. It really isn't that difficult if you just try. Here, watch." The Professor flicked his wand, carefully enouncing the spell for her benefit. "_Verdimillous!" _

A small shower of green sparks shot from the tip of his wand, dancing in the air before him. Lily watched, hypnotised.

"Now you try."

Lily took a breath, pointing her wand straight out. "_Verdimillous!" _she cast. There was a low explosion and a puff of thick silver smoke shot from her wand, the nauseating scent of burning filling the classroom. The students began to choke as it filled their lungs, their own wands emitting a beautiful show of emerald sparks.

"I don't think I can do this," she whispered, her voice quiet with shame. With a sigh, Professor Weasley patted her on the shoulder and moved to the front of the class to address them all.

"Alright! The lot of you can pack up now. Remember to practise the Verdimillous Spell in your spare time over the week, and read the next three chapters of _Dark Arts Defence: Basics for Beginners_. See you next week, guys. Thanks." Professor Weasley waved his students off as they got to their feet and packed up their stuff. Lily began to shovel her belongings into her bag when she heard Professor Weasley's voice from the front of the class.

"Louis, can you come here a minute?"

Lily looked up to see her cousin let out an infuriated groan and make his way up to the front of the class. Dom and Victoire's brother was just as pretty as his sisters, with overgrown blond hair and a doll-like face which was now flushed with embarrassment.

"Papa!" he hissed angrily as the classroom emptied. "I told you not to talk to me in class."

"Hey! I may be your teacher, but I'm still your father. Look, I wanted to tell you that your mother's been frantic about you. You aren't replying to any of her letters…"

"God, she's so embarrassing! Can't you both just leave me alone? It's bad enough that you're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher…"

"Your mother and I thought you'd be happy that I took the post this year. You know, to make your transition easier."

"I was only excited to go to Hogwarts to get away from you and Mama!" Louis slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Just…just try to pretend you don't know me, okay?"

Louis sashayed out the door, tossing his shoulder length hair beside him. Professor Weasley caught Lily's eye and smiled, his scarred face creasing kindly. He shook his head.

"Thank goodness you aren't a sullen little so-and-so as well. I swear, the moment he got here, he went all quiet and moody. Vicky and Dom were never like that."

"I'm sure he'll settle down eventually." Lily started to exit the classroom along with the rest of her classmates, but tripped over an obtrusive object that had been covered in the corner. The white sheet fell away and she jumped when she saw what lay beneath: a steel cage filled with tiny, ethereal creatures with small translucent faces and pinkish eyes. They began to screech the moment the light hit their faces. Professor Weasley laughed when he saw the look on Lily's face.

"They're only Sylphs. Don't worry, they won't hurt you."

Lily looked closer at the screaming beings, watching their long, slender wings wrap around their bodies as though to shield themselves from the light. Ducking their tiny heads away, their wails were muffled by their gossamer limbs. "What are they?"

"Elements of air, very beautiful creatures. They're very delicate though, you shouldn't expose them to light." He stepped forwards and draped the sheet over the cage, putting an immediate stop to the screeching. "Hey, Lily, wait a moment. Would you mind if I had a word with you?"

"Yes, of course unc- Professor."

"Ah, don't worry." He gestured about the empty classroom. "`You can call me Uncle Bill when I'm not teaching."

"What's up?" she asked, propping her bag down on her desk. She'd been delighted when Bill had decided to teach at Hogwarts the year she started there, even though his children weren't too pleased about it. He'd been treating her very gently over the first few weeks, but the serious look on his face told her that was about to end.

"Lily, is something the matter?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I know you, you're a bright kid. Much brighter than you've been letting on. Now I know it's only been a few weeks, but you hand in homework late and I can't remember the last time I saw you apply yourself in class. I wouldn't step in, but I've been talking it over with a few other teachers and they're all saying the same thing. I mean, when Neville… I mean Professor Longbottom…thinks there's a problem, you know something must be up."

"Neville said there was a problem?" Lily's heart sank.

"Well, not a problem exactly. But he's been saying that you're withdrawn and not trying all that hard. Many people have been saying that, actually."

"I'm sorry," muttered Lily. "I'll try harder."

"Hey, I'm not telling you this so you'll try harder. You're my niece as well as my student, I need to know if anything's wrong."

"Everything's fine. Really."

Bill gave her a suspicious look before relenting. "Alright then. If you aren't going to tell me, come on."

"What?"

"Come with me. There's something I want to show you."

"I can't, I have Herbology."

"Oh, come on. It's just Neville! I'll write you a note, it'll be fine."

Lily let her uncle lead her down out of the castle, all the way down onto the grounds. She stopped, however, when she noticed they were approaching the Forbidden Forest.

"Lils?" Bill looked alarmed. "What's wrong? Is it the lake? If you don't like coming down here, I understand."

"No, no that's fine. I just…are we going into the Forest?"

"Just trust me."

Nervously, she approached the tops of the thick, dark trees, glancing back at the greenhouses where she should be. She almost ran into Bill when he stopped walking.

"Stay here," he told her.

"Uncle Bill, even you have to admit this is strange."

"Don't worry, I'll bring the rest of the cousins down here eventually. But I thought you needed a little cheering up. I can tell starting here's been a little tough on you, especially with Al and everything."

Lily tensed up despite herself. "It's nothing to with Al."

"Well, alright then. James, or school work or homesickness or something like that. Whatever's wrong, this'll make you feel better."

Bill disappeared behind a couple of trees, and Lily hugged herself tightly. Even though she hadn't been there and no one had dared tell her the real story, she still couldn't stand to look at the Lake. It had a habit of catching her eye and winking at her in the light, mocking her. She'd caught James staring at it too a couple of times: it seemed the body of water held power over the both of them. The look of it made her feel sick and sad, but she still couldn't manage to look away.

"There she is! My favourite niece."

Lily's head whipped around to see her Uncle Charlie coming towards her, his sunburned face wide and smiling and his auburn hair just starting to turn grey at the tips. With a gasp, she flung herself towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle.

"Uncle Charlie!"

"Hey, Lilikins! Watch out, you're going to snap me in half."

"I thought you were in Romania!"

"I was. You see I had to make a special delivery to my big brother here." He gestured at Bill, who was leaning against the fence of a Paddock, shaking his head.

"Who'd have thought we'd see the way you worked for me, huh?" he laughed good-naturedly.

"I still can't believe you work here. You, defence against the dark arts? You can barely defend yourself against a stubbed toe."

"Well, the scars give me a certain edge." He turned his face to the side, so that his marred face was more obvious, jagged lines running down his cheeks.

"And the pony tail of course. It's terrifying." Charlie turned towards Lily once more. "I can't believe how big you are now. What are you, the last of my nieces to finally hit school?"

"No, Roxy's starting in a couple of years."

"Oh yes, little Roxanne. George's little accident."

"Charlie!" Bill looked aghast.

"Oh come on. She's, what, eight years younger than Fred? I doubt that came from careful planning."

"I was four years younger than Al," piped Lily. Charlie swapped a nervous glance with Bill before he swooped in and kissed her on the forehead.

"Ah, don't you worry. Your parents always wanted a girl. So, moving right along, how are you finding Hogwarts? Living the dream?"

"I suppose."

"Chin up. I'm sure you'll love it here eventually. I mean, you've got your friends, your family…you're all set."

Lily bounced nervously, still gripping her own elbows to her chest. "Why are you here, Uncle Charlie?"

"Ouch. Straight to the point, I see, just like your mother."

Bill stepped forward. "Lils, I think this is something you're going to want to see." He disappeared around the corner behind a couple of trees, but Lily waited for Charlie, who was stooping down on one knee beside her. Leaning forwards, he whispered in her ear.

"If old Billy ever gets too annoying, just tell him to buggar off, okay?"

"He's Professor Weasley now, actually."

"Professor Weasley." Charlie chuckled, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

His hand resting on Lily's shoulder, he walked her towards the forest, where Bill was just reappearing, wearing a concerned expression.

"Hurry up, you two," he said, annoyed.

"Yes, big bro."

"I've got classes to attend to." Bill pulled a scrap of parchment from his pocket. "Give this to Longbottom when you reach Herbology, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Uncle Bill." With a ruffle of her hair, he turned and made his way back to the castle.

Charlie Weasley led the way through the sparse scattering of trees until the light began to thin. Soon, thick clumps of vegetation started to surround them as they made their way along, winding their way around several paths embedded in the mossy floor. Lily started to feel nervous, but she made a conscious effort not to reach for her uncle's hand. Her clumsy feet seemed unable to walk without tripping.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll know in a second."

With a last sharp turn, they reached a smooth clearing in the forest, where stood a large fence. It reached almost as tall as the trees, its top barely visible as it vanished among the canopies of the ominous, looming foliage. The whole thing gave the basic impression of a large, oppressive wall surrounding the clearing. Lily stepped closer, transfixed.

"What's inside?"

"Let's see if you can't figure it out," remarked Charlie, stepping up behind her.

Almost without her permission, a wide grin pulled at her mouth. "Dragons?"

"Dragons."

With that, Charlie drew his wand and swished it towards the fence, a thin white spell winding around the wall. The wood turned transparent as glass, glinting in the morning light. Looking inside, Lily clamped her hand to her mouth.

There were four of them, only young ones, with scales that danced in the sunlight and eyes that burned like molten fire. The size of small horses, they had ugly leathery wings and skull-like heads. Two of them were sleeping, their bodies draped over each other as they snored, letting out small bursts of fire with each exhale. The other two were playing, frolicking about the small enclose as they feigned attack. The largest of them continued to hit the smallest with fire from its mouth, causing it to roll frantically against the grass. Lily giggled.

"You like them?" asked Charlie kindly.

"They're beautiful."

"Why don't we step inside?" Lily stepped away in shock, but Charlie simply laughed. "I was joking, Lilikins."

"I knew that."

"You see the two sleeping ones? They're the Antipodean Opaleyes. Beautiful to look at, you see how they catch the light? Very dull to watch though, they're the laziest species of dragon. They need at least twenty hours of sleep a day."

"They are very pretty," Lily defended them.

"They are, aren't they?" There was a certain reverence in his tone, the way there always was when he spoke about dragons. "The one underneath is Lumina and the one on top is Ceruri."

"What about the one that won't stop breathing fire?"

"Ah, that's Incendia. She's a beauty, she is, a Ukrainian Ironbelly. She'll grow to at least ten times that size, if we're lucky. See that shimmering black colour of her scales? It's incredibly rare, they're usually a dark red or even a pale orange. Now, aren't you going to ask me about the little one?"

"You should put her in a separate pen. Incendia will kill her in a minute or two."

"No, no. You see, she's tiny, but she's very tough. Watch."

Lily watched as the last dragon rolled to her feet, having extinguished the last of the flames from its shimmering blue skin. With a low growl, she started to back away, her entire body tensed as she retreated. Then, with a loud shriek, she charged at the larger dragon, knocking Incendia off her feet as she was pierced by the smallest dragon's frontal horn. With a whimper, Incendia padded away, huffing out a small plume of smoke. Lily laughed, considerably cheered.

"I like that one."

"I thought you might. She's a Swedish snort-stout, one of the last in existence. She was the only one to survive the litter, even though she was the runt. Crin, her name is."

"Crin? That's an odd name."

"It means Lily in Romanian."

Lily laughed. "It does not."

"It absolutely does. You can look it up if you want to. Besides, if it doesn't mean Lily, then I really messed up. I meant to name her after you."

Lily hugged her uncle tighly, burying herself in the feel of his clothes. "Thanks, Uncle Charlie."

He knelt down once more so they were almost nose to nose. "Now, I'm only at Hogwarts for a couple more days, but I can't go back to Romania with you looking like that."

"Good. I'll keep you here forever." Lily pulled her face into an exaggerated pout, sticking out her bottom lip. Charlie snickered before resuming his serious face.

"You shouldn't worry so much. You're far too young to look this upset. Is it James? If it is, I'll set one of these dragons on him, you know I will."

"I love you, Uncle Charlie. But I really should be getting back to Herbology. As it turns out, Professor Longbottom isn't overjoyed with my performance this year."

"I'll never get used to it. Professor Weasley, Professor Longbottom…even Hestia Jones is a Professor here now." He straightened up. "Get back to class, Lilikins. And remember, if anyone ever hurts you, I have a nice supply of dragons that'll show them what happens when you mess with one of us."

"Will I see you again before you go?"

"Yeah of course. I've got to visit the whole Weasley clan and give them a nice Romanian welcome."

"Why did you show me the dragons?" Charlie sighed and pushed his ginger hair away from his face.

"There's an old saying in Romania. 'Așa cum sângele de tine este al meu, deci, eu sunt a ta "

"What does that mean?"

"As your blood is mine, so I am yours. It means that you're family. And therefore, it is my job to make sure you're alright."

Charlie helped Lily find her way outside the forest, guiding her out through the trees. He said goodbye to her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek, and Lily left feeling happier than she had since she'd arrived at the school. She made her way along to the greenhouses, shivering in the brisk chill of the afternoon. Thick clouds filled the grey skies and Lily wondered for a moment if it was going to rain. Somewhere in the distance, she felt as though she could hear she name being whispered, but dismissed it as simply the sound of the wind. The sound came again, three times, and Lily glanced about to see who was calling her. The grounds were empty save for the dying grass, and for a single moment, Lily let her gaze be dragged towards the Black Lake.

"Al?" she whispered, before crying out when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She spun to see Lorcan Scarmander, his dark hair slicked back and his wide eyes earnest.

"Lorcan," she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. "You scared me. What are you doing out here?"

Lorcan said nothing, simply sitting beside her so that his toes dangled in the icy water. He gestured for her to sit beside him, but she remained standing.

"You shouldn't do that. There are bad things lurking in the water."

At this, Lorcan spoke. "Yes, there are bad things lurking in the water. There are bad things lurking on land. There are bad things lurking inside you. You're never safe from bad things. It's only a little water."

"You're probably right." Lily sat back beside Lorcan, but made sure her feet were kept well away from the water. "Why aren't you in Herbology?"

"I didn't want to be."

"I'm not sure life works that way."

"It can if I want it to." He kept his eyes fixed on the lake as Lily watched him. The whole of the waters seemed to shine in his. "How about you, why aren't you in class?"

"My uncle was showing me some dragons."

"I'm unfamiliar with that expression."

"No, I meant it literally. My Uncle Charlie breeds dragons, he's brought a few of them here into the Forest. I think they're going to study them." She paused. "My dad fought a dragon."

"Would you want to do that?" Lorcan kicked up a small splash of water.

"No, of course not. I couldn't anyway. I can barely do a Verdimillous spell." Lorcan held out his hand. "What?" she asked after a pause.

"Your wand."

Lily pulled it from her pocket and placed it in his hand, the wood dark against the pallor of his skin. He examined it for a moment before giving it back to her and withdrawing his own from his pocket. Glancing at her grip, he shook his head.

"You hold it like this, by the end of the grip." Lily obeyed. "Great. Now, flick your wand in a clockwise circle, quickly now. When you're about halfway through the circle, call out the charm. When you've finished the circle, jab outwards. It helps to have a target to aim at. Like this."

Lorcan copied what he'd told her to do, and a shower of emerald sparks exploding from his wand tip. He looked at her expectantly. "Now you try."

Lily held the wand lightly in her grip and flicked it in a circular motion. With a cry of "Verdimillous!" she poked the wand out, aiming it toward a tree in the distance. She jumped with surprise when an explosion of sparkling green fired from her wand and into the grey sky. She hooted with delight.

"I did it! I did it!" Lorcan watched as she clapped her hands together in joy. "Thank you!" She hugged him for a second, feeling him tense beneath her, before letting go.

"You could always have done it."

She bowed her head, suddenly solemn. "No, I can't. I'm not very good at spells. Or potions, or Quidditch or anything really."

"You have seven years stretched ahead of you in which to learn. Why do you need to be the best now?"

"My family isn't very good at not being the best." Lorcan looked at her, waiting for her to continue, so she did. "My dad…well, I suppose none of us will ever be par with my dad. It's hard to believe there isn't anything he hasn't done. My mum's one of the most talented Aurors around, people still talk about how she took down the Mulciber family. Plus she was captain of the Holyhead Harpies. James has never tried anything he hasn't excelled at and Al…" she swallowed. "Well, Al could have been anything he wanted."

"And you?"

"I thought when I got to Hogwarts, I'd find I was good at something. But it seems like everyone around me so much cleverer and prettier and more confident. Things just seem to _happen _for some people, and never for me. Especially in my family. I don't think I have a single cousin who isn't kind or clever or beautiful."

"You're worrying about it," he told her matter-of-factly. "You're pale and you have dark circles under your eyes. You'll make yourself ill."

"It isn't like I don't try. I study until my eyes don't see straight, and I've been training at Quidditch since I was old enough to have one of those little toy brooms."

"What position?"

"Seeker. I know it's a competitive place, but it's the only position I can actually play. Or, at least, I thought I could, anyway. After watching the Quidditch game, I don't think I'm suited to Quidditch." Lorcan just looked at her until she glanced away, embarrassed. "What? Why are you looking at me?"

"I think it's sad that you see what everyone else is, but not what you are."

"It doesn't matter what I do, anyway. I'll never be as pretty as Victoire or Dom, I'll never be clever like Rose, I'll never be good as Quiddich like James. It doesn't matter how hard I try, it just won't happen."

"Not everyone gets to be extraordinary."

"Sometimes, I think everyone is except me."

Lily folded herself up into a ball, lowering her head until her nose was only centimetres away from the water. The water was the colour of ink and seemed to stretch on endlessly, thin as silk and light as air. She almost let herself touch it, but her mind drifted to the thought of her brother being dragged beneath the surface. Cruel nightmares had used to torment her, of Al mouthing her name as he was pulled under the black water, bubbles escaping his white lips. In her dreams, his eyes were no longer brown: they were as dark as the waters themselves. She drew back from the water with a start and Lorcan tilted his head as he watched her.

"Do you suppose that the dead come back?" she asked. It seemed that if anyone would know, it would be Lorcan.

"I think that if they did, death would be a much happier affair. Why would people even bother to mourn if they knew their loves ones were coming back? Ghosts are a different matter, though. I'm not sure if they even qualify as dead. It would be more of a 'see you soon' as opposed to a 'goodbye forever.'"

"This is all very deep for second period."

"I agree. No one should discuss what comes after death at least until after lunch."

"Should we see if we missed anything in Herbology?"

Lorcan just scoffed as they both stood and brushed the grass of their clothes, their contorted, elongated reflections grinning grimly back at them. Lily found it difficult to look away: she liked the look of her reflection. It looked tougher and more mysterious than she did. If she looked like her reflection, no one would ever mess with her.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" asked Lorcan.

"Well, yes, I suppose. There isn't really anything I can do about it though." She sighed. "Maybe it'll get better as I get older. I just hate having to wait for things to be better somewhere down the line. I wish they were better now."

"Maybe they could be."

"What do you mean?"

Lily turned to her friend. His face was as expressionless and calm as ever, but his eyes were burning feverishly bright.

"It would take me a couple of days, of course." Lorcan seemed to be talking to himself rather than to her. "I would need to find all of the ingredients. Plus, to leave it time to thicken as well…"

"Are you going to make me a potion?" asked Lily excitedly.

"You'll have to wait and see," replied Lorcan, but a small smile was starting to manifest on his face. Lily fought the urge to hug him again, knowing Lorcan strongly disliked being touched.

"Hey Lorcan?" she said lightly as they walked.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you talk to anyone?"

"I'm talking now. See? Mouth is moving, words are coming out. Some of us refer to that as talking."

Lily giggled. "I mean to anyone besides me."

"Because most people wouldn't listen even if I did talk."

"You don't know that. Maybe they would if you just gave them a chance."

"I don't have much to say. I talk to you because I like you and I don't like most people that I meet."

"Oh." Lily wasn't quite sure what to say. "I like you too," she added awkwardly. Lorcan looked up at her.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Lily. Maybe you haven't found your passion or your talent yet, but when it comes to your family, you might just be the best of them. You should give yourself a break, wait a little while. Eventually you'll figure yourself out."

"Lorcan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For being my friend."

"Right back at you."

Even though Lorcan usually recoiled from touch, he let her loop her arm through his as they made their way down over the dying grounds, all the way to the Greenhouse.

**Chapter 16- Rose Weasley**

The crowd of cousins had swarmed around Uncle Charlie, their faces lit up. They were quite a clan: Bespectacled Molly and shy Lucy, both from Ravenclaw, James, who was as nonchalant as ever, the beautiful trio of Victoire, Dom and Louis, a very excitable Hugo, Fred, who decided to greet his uncle with a handshake, and Rose herself. Lily was nowhere to be found and Roxanne was still at home, but aside from that all of Charlie's nieces and nephews had turned up to greet him. He was surrounded by a small hoard of them, each clamouring for his attention.

"We have missed you so much," cooed Victoire, kissing her uncle on both cheeks.

"Uncle Charlie, Uncle Charlie!" Hugo bounced up and down joyfully, his ginger hair flopping over his face.

"I'm so interested to hear about your travels," interjected Molly in her nasal voice. "I'm told a new species of dragon has been discovered."

"Take me with you when you go," begged Louis. "Take me to Romania."

"You look so good, Oncle Charlie," giggled Dom, stressing her faint French accent as much as she could.

"Is it true a dragon can rip out your throat in a single motion? And burn you alive with one breath? And knock you out with a blow of their claw?" lisped Lucy, her voice rising with her thrill.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm happy to see you guys too, but take it easy." Charlie laughed, looking at all of them happily. "You're all getting so old, I can hardly believe it."

"That's what happens when you vanish for four years," commented James dryly. He'd been different over the past few days, quieter and less likely to joke. She'd wanted to ask him what was wrong, but had decided on principle not to talk to him. In retrospect, it was unfair of her to be angry, as she had agreed to the plan of her own volition, but it seemed so much easier to blame him.

"Well yes, I suppose so," answered Charlie awkwardly.

"Uncle Charlie, Uncle Charlie!" cried Hugo, tugging at his robes. "Will you tell us stories about Romania? And dragons?"

"Yes, yes of course I will," imparted Charlie. "Later, though, when I'm not detaining you all. I should have come to see you all later. Now get going, you lot. I already made Lily late for class earlier today, the last thing I need is to get in trouble for delaying the lot of you."

Grudgingly, the cousins turned to leave the Great Hall, leaving their lunch dishes behind them. Rose almost ran into Fred as she left, kicking him rather solidly in the shin as she did so.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

He grimaced, rubbing his sore leg. "Don't be. I was hoping to run into you anyway."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You have a free period now, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Stay here, with Uncle Charlie. Not for very long, just a couple of minutes."

"Um…why?"

"Just trust me."

"Fred, I have two essays to write by tomorrow. I was going to go to the library this period and do some research. I really don't have time to kill."

"It'll be worth it, I promise." He chucked her under the chin, the way she'd always hated. "Relax, you'll breeze through your essays. You always do."

"If I lose marks because of you…" Rose warned him as he left.

"You're incapable of losing marks," he called to her. Rose turned back to the rapidly emptying Hall, where Charlie had pulled out a chair and was gnawing at a turkey leg he picked up.

"So," he said, swallowing loudly. "Fred told you to stay back, I take it?"

"What are you two cooking up?" she asked, settling down beside him.

"Oh nothing much," he answered. Rose raised her eyebrows. "Alright, alright he told me everything."

"What?"

"Fred's great, but he isn't the best secret keeper. I was giving a lecture in seventh year Care of Magical Creatures…"

"Oh yeah, I heard they were studying dragons."

"Anyway, I ran into Fred and he asked me if I could give him some advice. Before I knew it, he'd told me the entire sordid story." Charlie piled his plate high with leftover sausages and soft white bread rolls. "I'd consider not letting him in on your super-secret plans in future."

"Everything?" asked Rose, devastated.

"I doubt there could be any more to the story." He laughed. "God, Rosie, I didn't know you had it in you. I mean, James, I understand. But you?"

"I know, I know. It was stupid. It's been three days and James hasn't slept, Scorpius won't even look at me, Elina's been going out of her way to bump into me after class and glare at me all the time…this whole thing was a terrible idea."

"Well, I could have told you that." Charlie cursed as the food vanished from his plate, each of the serving platters wiped clean. Sheepishly, he covered his mouth. "Sorry."

"Trust me, swearing uncles are the least of my worries."

"Yes, you seem to have graduated to a new class of drugging boys to force them to love you. Be careful there, that's a slippery slope."

"I'll try not to make a habit of it." She leaned back in her chair and groaned. "What am I going to do? People keep telling me I need to wait, but how long is it going to take? I mean, I'm sure Scorpius and Elina are back together by now, and if I wait too long he'll forget all about me, but if I talk to him too soon, he'll still be mad."

"You could not pay me enough to be in high school again. The drama, the pathos…no, I much prefer dragons."

"Yes, well. As helpful as that is…"

"Just take it as a learning curve. Next time, just don't listen to James. Just remember that no matter how convincing he is, it's probably a terrible idea."

"Lesson learned, trust me."

"So, tell me. Do you really love this Scorpion?"

"Scorpius. And yes, I do. Urgh! He's handsome and charming and funny. He's everything I ever thought I wanted and I was too stupid to even realise it. The saddest part is I don't even regret this whole thing, because I can't. If none of this had happened, I never would even have given Scorpius a second thought. So I hate myself for saying yes to this whole stupid plan, but I can't even be sorry about it."

"How sweet." Scorpius' voice shocked her, making her jump to her feet. He was standing in the doorway, his blond hair shining in the soft light of the Hall and a small, half-smile dancing around his lips. Rose saw Fred standing behind Scorpius; shooting her a wink, he slipped away down the corridor. She turned to Charlie, who got to his feet and brushed himself off, clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm off."

She reached up to stop him. "Did you make him come here?" she whispered.

"No," he replied. "I just asked him to. He came of his own volition."

He snuck out past Scorpius, who moved out of the way. Before he left, Charlie put his hand of Scorpius' shoulder.

"No, Uncle Charlie, don't," winced Rose, but her Uncle didn't pay attention.

"Now remember, Scorpion…"

"It's…it's Scorpius," corrected Scorpius quietly, clearly taken aback by how close Charlie was to his face.

"Scorpion, Scorpius, whatever. Now you listen to me: you are a lucky son of a bitch. Also, if you hurt my niece, I have access to a _lot_ of man-eating dragons and I know how to make it look like an accident." With a grim smile, Charlie clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Good luck, my boy." He made a graceful exit, giving Rose a sly look as he left. She rolled her eyes, wanting to move towards Scorpius, but not daring.

"Don't listen to him, he's just joking," she hurried to reassure him.

"So he doesn't have access to a lot of man-eating dragons?"

"No, he does. But he wouldn't set them on you."

"My, what a kind and gentle soul."

"Not quite. It's more that they'd fire him from his job, and he loves his man-eating dragons far too much."

"Yes, they do have a certain terrifying charm. I suppose there are worse ways to go than to be eaten by a dragon."

"You say that now. I'm sure you'd be singing a different tune if the dragon started to attack you and maul you and stuff."

"I disagree. It's a pretty badass death."

There was a short pause, which Rose felt pressured to break. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Well, I'm not throwing up or fainting anymore. So, yes, I guess you could say I'm feeling better."

"Scorpius… I'm sorry."

"I know, you've said. You've said it a lot, actually."

For a moment, the two of them just looked at each other. It had been several days since Scorpius had found out the truth, and he'd been avoiding her gaze ever since. Just looking at him brought about a profound sense of relief, as though a great weight had been lifted off her chest. She took a deep breath and decided not to prolong the inevitable; taking a step closer to Scorpius, she spoke.

"Scorpius, what are you doing here?"

"Your scary dragon uncle told me you'd be here and that if I wanted to talk to you, I should."

"Why do you want to talk to me?"

"There's something I wanted to say to you and I didn't think I could move on without saying it."

Rose steeled herself. Sitting down on the seat of the Gryffindor table, she breathed deeply and prepared herself for the cruel words that were about to be spoken. She deserved this, she knew, but she still wished she could be anywhere else. However, whatever she'd been expecting, the words Scorpius spoke were the furthest from her expectations.

"Your face is asymmetrical."

Rose coughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your face. It's asymmetrical."

"Um…okay…I don't really see…um…that's." She struggled to find an answer before settling on: "What?"

"Your face is asymmetrical. You care too much about your schoolwork. You sometimes go off on your own irrelevant tangents for no reason. You're too possessive over your brother, and your cousin Lily, which is sort of weird. You're not as good of a Chaser as you think you are. Your laugh is really high-pitched and kind of annoying. I mean, not all the time, just when you find something really funny. You're sort of gullible, you're a pushover, you're competitive and you think the jungle is better than the snow, which makes absolutely no sense to me."

Rose had almost no idea how to process this. "Do…do you have a point? Or are you just ranting? Because I'm pretty sure this is why people have diaries, you know. So they can express their feelings and grievances and stuff."

"No, Rosie, you don't understand." Rose's heart fluttered at the sound of him calling her 'Rosie'. He stepped towards her, leaning on the table across from her. She could see the earnest flush in his face and it suddenly hit her how much she'd missed him.

"I think I might. You're just listing everything you don't like about me. Isn't that the sort of thing you'd scribble on the bathroom wall? If you felt that strongly about it, that is."

"For the past three days, I've been running our time together over and over in my brain. Wondering how I could have been so stupid and how I went so wrong and all that. But somehow, the thought of you never went away." Rose forced herself to squash her feelings; she fixed a blank expression on her face. "So I told myself it was just the last of the Amortentia, just wearing off, poisoning my mind with the thought of you."

"Wow, poisoning…"

"Could you just…?"

"That's just…that's a harsh word. I don't know if I'd go that far…"

"Can I talk? Please?"

She held up her hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

"So there I was, just tormented with the thought of you…"

"Tormented?"

'I'm talking, Rose!"

"Once again, though, harsh word. You make it sound like I'm a disease or some kind of demonic spectre."

"Okay that's it. 'Interrupts me a lot'. Going on the list as of now."

"Sorry, sorry. I'm listening. I'll be quiet, I swear."

"When I was with you before, it was like you were perfect. Like you were the most extraordinary, exceptional, beautiful creature I'd ever seen, and I couldn't believe you were even spending time with me, let alone dating me."

Rose felt sick. "Scorpius…"

"No interrupting! You swore."

"You're right. Won't happen again."

"Okay. So, I thought you were everything I ever wanted. But after I realised you were…" he trailed off, miming the gesture of drinking. Rose nodded quickly. "Anyway, after all that, I just… I hated you."

Rose opened her mouth to cut him off, but closed it again after a moment. As little as she wanted to hear it, she had to listen to what he said to her. She owed him that much.

"I put so much time and energy into loathing you, but it was like you never went away. You were always in my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried not to think about you. I decided that I would never, ever go out with you, or talk to you or even think about you for as long as I lived."

"Well, that backfired. You're talking to me now."

"Yeah, a lot of things backfired. Because this morning, I realised something."

"What?"

"That I don't think you're perfect. I think you are hugely, almost incredibly flawed. I mean, more so than most people I know."

"Yes, you've made that clear. Was that your beautiful epiphany?"

"Yes!" He sat down in the seat opposite her and leaned towards her. "Don't you see? You aren't perfect. I don't think you're perfect like I used to. That means that I'm not in love with you because of the Amortentia. I was, but I'm not now. I'm just in love with you because…well, because I am."

Rose could hardly believe her ears. "You're in love with me?" she whispered, barely able to accept what she was hearing.

"I know. I was surprised too. Trust me, I didn't want to be. I wanted to hate you so much, I tried so hard not to think of you. I just couldn't help it."

"I mean…_how_?" Her voice strained with shock.

"Easy there, you aren't that unlovable."

"I drugged you. I lied to you. I hurt you!"

"Do you not want me to love you or something?" Scorpius was smiling now.

"I don't understand how you could."

"So now you want me to compliment you?" he joked and she laughed nervously. "I love you for the same reasons I always have. You're clever, you're funny, you're beautiful."

"Even though my face is asymmetrical?" she joked weakly, tears brewing in her eyes.

"Beautifully asymmetrical. I love your stupid unnecessary tangents, and how much you care about school and work and your family. I love your annoying laugh, and I love it even more when you laugh because of me. And I can lie to myself as much as I want, but I'm in love with you, Rose Weasley. I may be a complete idiot, but there it is. I mean, apparently the only creature that can actually create love is a tanglesnort, so I unless you got your hands one of those…" Scorpius smiled to himself.

Rose knew she was supposed to answer, but she had nothing to say. Her throat was dry, her mouth parched.

"Are you…going to say anything?" asked Scorpius, perplexed.

"If this is a joke, it isn't funny."

"I wish it was a joke. But I'm being serious, Rosie. I promise."

"What about Elina?" Rose felt almost detached from her body, listening to herself answer the question.

"What about her?"

"Don't you love her? I mean, doesn't she want to get back with you? Or vice versa?"

"You know, Elina and I were always more suited to be friends than to date. Sometimes, I think he just dated each other because we were there and we could stand to be around each other. Don't get me wrong, she'll take some time to warm to you, but she wants me to be happy. She was never in love with me anyway."

"So…what does this mean?" Rose struggled to make sense of it all.

"Well…I love you, and from your beautiful declaration that heralded my entrance, I'll take it that you love me too. So, Miss Weasley…" Scorpius rose from his chair and fell to one knee, the top of his head visible over the table. Placing his hands on the table, he mimed opening a ring box. "Will you go out with me?"

Rose stayed serious, standing up so she could see his face. "Are you being serious?"

"Deadly." He offered his empty hands up towards her. "Come on, you know you want to say yes."

Rose bit back her grin and clutched her hands to her heart. "Oh my gosh," she gushed in a falsetto. "I thought you'd never ask."

"The suspense is killing me. Here I am, all vulnerable, laying my heart on the line for a fair maiden, and you're just drawing this out for your own pleasure."

"I do!" she cried, fanning herself with her hand. Scorpius dropped the act and stood, looking directly at her.

"Really?" he asked softly.

"Really," she answered. Leaning across the table, she kissed him lightly on the lips, feeling him smile against her. For the first time, she knew he actually wanted to kiss her back. However, when she drew back, she was frowning. Scorpius touched her cheek.

"Hey there. No frowning after my kisses, you'll dent my delicate ego." He met her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"What if we don't work together?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if we only worked as a couple because of Amortentia? We have no idea how we'd be together in a normal relationship."

Scorpius sat on the table and slid himself across it so that he was right next to her. "Isn't that the point of a relationship? I mean, if people knew how they'd be together, they wouldn't even bother dating. They'd just marry or break up instantly."

"That's a fair point."

Scorpius leaned in to rest his forehead against hers and Rose felt her heart flutter. "I think we'll be just fine," he murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Sure. I mean we've already survived all the betrayal, hurt and drama of a normal couple in the first three weeks. How much worse can we face?"

"Another fair point. Perhaps you should consider debating."

"So," said Scorpius, sitting upright. "We both a have a free period. We have the whole time stretched before us, with nothing to do."

"I actually have two essays…" Rose caught Scorpius' gaze. "Which I will blow off to spend time with my new old boyfriend."

"That's the best news I've heard all day."

With a smile, he led her from the Great Hall, her hand fitting perfectly into his.

**Chapter 17- James Potter**

James lifted his legs up onto a small pile of cushions in and sighed, knocking the books off his lap onto the ground. Stretching languidly, he lay down so that his head and shoulder sank deep into the cushioning material. Beside him, Fred slammed his book closed.

"That's it."

"What?" James yawned.

"That has got to be like the eighth time you've sighed dramatically in the last ten minutes. I thought we came down here to study."

"I don't feel like studying."

"Yeah, well, I can't study with you huffing like an injured Hippogriff. Are you still upset about mini Goyle?"

"No, I'm not upset!" roared James, burrowing himself deeper into the cushions and turning onto his stomach.

"Yeah, it really shows. Now cheer up or go away."

"That's the sort of sympathy I expect from a friend."

He felt the toe of Fred's shoe dig into his shoulder, nudging him repeatedly. "James?" He said nothing. "James? James? Jaaaaames?"

"_What?_" he whined, his voice heavily muffled.

"Do you want to talk about mini-Goyle?"

"No."

"Do you want cake?"

"Yes."

James sat up at Fred settled next to him and cut him a piece of the fluffy lemon cake that had started to go a little stale.

"So, you aren't upset. You've just taken to sighing annoyingly?" Fred passed him the cake. "Come on, man. She's one girl, there are plenty of others."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't care." He got up and stretched again, knocking his head solidly against the ceiling of the small room. "Urgh, I've got to get out of here."

"I'll come with you. I could probably use a study break anyway, my brain's about to melt off."

"Nah, don't. I think I'll just take a walk. By myself."

"Okay, fine. I'll be in here if you need me."

"Sure. Thanks, Fred."

James pushed open the doorway and winced at the sudden rush of light that hit his eyes. Morosely, he wandered without aim down the corridors, ignoring the catcalls of the portraits after him. It had been three days and he still couldn't muster the strength to cheer up. There was an odd, heavy gloom that hung over him, a slow melancholy that clung to him like wet clothes. It seemed extraordinary to him that he had never seen her before the beginning of this year: she appeared everywhere. She seemed to lurk in every corridor he walked down, outside each of his classrooms, even hovering on the grounds during his Quidditch Practices. She never looked at him, simply walking past with a flip of her hair, leaving her floral scent behind her. He hated seeing her like this, but hated it even more when he didn't see her at all. God, he was starting to sound like Teddy.

"James!"

James turned to see Rose bounding down the corridor towards him. Before he could brace himself, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Whoa there, Rosy-Pose."

"Yeah, _Rosy-Pose_," mocked a voice behind Rose. James looked up to see Scorpius grinning broadly. As Rose pulled back, Scorpius slid his arm around her shoulder and she reached up to hold his hand. James cocked his eyebrow.

"Alrighty then. So this is happening." He pointed from Rose to Scorpius and back again. "You two are a thing?"

"Yeah," answered Rose happily.

"And really, it's all thanks to you," added Scorpius.

"Oh really?"

"Well, sure. I mean, had you not drugged me and forced me to be Rosie's lapdog, I never would have gotten to know her like I did." He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled. "So, really, you played a huge part in my eventual happiness."

He reached out his hand and after a pause James shook it. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. "I do not understand you, kid."

"I'm thanking you, oddly enough."

"Hmm. Maybe Elina should take a page out of your book." James tried to joke, but his voice shook.

"Yeah, I heard about your conversation the other day. Well, not the conversation so much as the guitar playing. That was…awful."

Rose looked from James to Scorpius. "Okay, I've got to hear this story."

"You're too young," answered James, patting her on the head. He shot Scorpius a glare and the boy nodded, understanding.

"It's not a very interesting story, anyway," Scorpius told her and she relented.

"So, what are you two lovebirds up to?" asked James, eager to change the subject.

"We thought we'd go for a walk or something," said Scorpius. "Do you want to come?"

"Well, as tempted as I am to be the third wheel on this little bicycle, I'll have to pass. Now, you two get out of here, before you taint me with your happiness."

Rose touched James on the arm as she left, but Scorpius paused.

"You really hurt Elina," he told James, his eyes serious.

"I know."

"And that girl can hold a grudge. She's still mad at some people she only knew in kindergarten."

"I get it, I messed up."

"Scorpius?" called Rose, a little way down the hall.

"Coming, Rosie!" he answered. Then, he leaned a little closer to James. "Listen. I've never met anyone who deserves to be happy quite as much as El. If you can make that happen, I'm all for it. However, if you're going to hurt her again, just stay away from her. She deserves better."

"I understand why you wouldn't trust me on this, but the last thing I want to do is hurt Elina again," said James honestly. Scorpius looked him up and down, then nodded.

"Good."

"And hey, I never formally apologised to you for slipping that potion in your drink and for making Rose agree to it. I know it all worked out for you now, but I still dragged you into it, and that was wrong."

"Ah well, we all do things we regret. Besides, look what I've got now." He pointed down the corridor at Rose, who was chatting to a portrait. Her face was radiant with her smile and her hair glinted in the light. James turned towards Scorpius to see him watching Rose, his eyes shining.

"Be good to Rose okay? Because if you hurt her, I will be forced to destroy you," James warned him.

"I couldn't hurt her if I wanted to." Scorpius gave James an awkward clap on the shoulder and walked up behind Rose, wrapping his arms around her from behind and making her giggle. James pretended to retch and continued on his way, away from the happy couple.

Scorpius' forgiveness should have made him feel better, but it didn't. His guilt and gloom had been replaced with a brooding, jealous rage, which was arguably worse. It seemed unfair that Scorpius and Rose should be so happy when he was so miserable; selfish as he was, he'd felt better when others were suffering with him. Now Rose had Scorpius, Teddy had Victoire, Fred hadn't stopped talking about Jenna and even Hugo blushed whenever you mentioned a certain girl in his year named Pari Patil-Rogan. Despite the fact that he could get all the Tinas and Kats he wanted, James knew what he wanted. He wanted Elina Goyle. It seemed so stupid and unfair that he couldn't have her, just because he'd been an idiot. He was used to his charm affording him second chances: he had no idea how to handle this sort of blatant rejection. How hideously unjust that the one time it actually mattered, he couldn't talk his way out of his mistakes.

The voice he heard behind him was the last voice he wanted to hear.

"Potter," snarled Goyle, his swollen face angry. The scars had completely faced from his nose and cheeks, but he was still fearsome as ever. James turned his mouth upwards in the infuriating half smile he knew Goyle hated.

"Why, Mr Goyle." James bowed dramatically. "So sorry to hear the love of your life stamped all over your heart and left it for the dogs."

Goyle frowned. "I heard about you coming after my sister. I don't like it."

'How will I go on without your approval?"

"You're asking for a beating, Potter."

"I'm actually asking for you to go away. I don't want you ugly face here another second."

James didn't know why he was still talking. He felt reckless, uncontrollable, stupid.

"Thin ice, Potter."

"So why don't you waddle away? If you can that is. Maybe your girlfriend can take care of you. Oh wait! She finally came to her senses. Well, you could always lug your fat body to your other girlfriend, Yaxley"

"Shut it."

"Where is Yaxley anyway? Did he get sick of being your personal puppy? Or did he leave when Jenna did, because he was only staying for her?"

James could see the cracks beginning to form under Goyle's skin. He felt the familiar rush in his chest, the sick feeling of power that seized his limbs. It was as though the parts of himself that thrived on anger and hatred flared and took power, taking over his speech and his actions. These were heedless, rash moments that made him loathe himself. Part of him begging his mouth to stay closed, but that part of him never won.

"Maybe you can go running back to daddy. Oh wait…" James leaned in, his eyes flashing. "You can't. A worm feeding the worms. How apt."

Goyle's fist connected with his nose before he even saw it coming. His only recently repaired nose splintered, blood seeping down James' face and splashing into his eyes. Pain blinded him, sending him reeling backwards. As he keeled over, blow after blow rained down on his agonised body, blood and bruising decorating him. James closed his eyes tightly and waited for the beating to be over, refusing to make a single sound in his pain. As he balled himself up tightly, he wondered the same thing over and over: _Why do I do things like this? What's wrong with me?_

…..

When James heaved himself towards the common room, every step brought more pain. Both his eyes were blackened, his nose was broken once again, his lips were split and bruises were forming over his body, purple-black and painful. From the sound his ribs had made when they were struck, he was fairly certain some of them were broken, and his movements were stiff and pained. The Fat Lady looked him up and down haughtily.

"Someone's been fighting," she commented as she knitted. She seemed to be making some sort of child's sock in a hideous pink colour.

"Please tell me you haven't changed the password again," pleaded James, pressing a piece of cloth to his bleeding lip. He had a sudden rush of déjà vu: now both Goyles had managed to break his nose. Perhaps it would become some sort of family tradition.

"Well, since you asked so nicely."

"Parsnips," said James, and the portrait hole swung open. The moment James entered, he was accosted by Fred, whose face was creased with worry and panic.

"James, thank god." He grabbed James, not even noticing his injuries.

"What?" James turned his head towards the corner of the common room and was greeted by the sight of a large crowd of people, each pushing and shoving each other. Cries of "Everyone back away!" and "Back off, she needs space!" punctuated the air. James turned back to Fred, wringing the panic from his voice.

"What's happening?" he asked. Fred pressed his lips together and James thought he saw tears dancing in his eyes.

"We don't know, no one knows. She was upstairs, perfectly fine, and then the next minute…"

James tensed with dread. "Who?" Fred said nothing and James grabbed him, ignoring the pain in his fractured ribs. "Fred, who?"

Fred's answer was as soft as it was terrible. "Lily."

James stared at him for a moment, before racing across the common room and forcing his way through the crowd. A few people protested, but James pried them apart.

"I'm her brother!" he roared, pushing a fourth grader aside. "I'm her brother, let me through."

The sight of Lily made James' heart stop in his chest. She was stretched on the floor, her body eagle spread across the floorboards, her auburn hair splayed behind her. Her limbs twitched manically, her entire body convulsing in a horrific, inhuman fashion. Dark circles were evident in her colourless face and saliva had begun to froth at her mouth. A deep, guttural sound came from her throat as she shook, arching and curling her back like a cat. Her brown eyes were open but unseeing.

"Lily," he whispered, the word catching in his throat. His mind, his heart, his body were numb with shock and revulsion. The hand that landed on his shoulder was as much of a shock to his system as a bucket of ice water. It was Victoire's voice that spoke.

"James…"

"Shut up!" James threw himself on the ground towards Lily, but one of the prefects held him back.

"Someone's gone to get a teacher. You shouldn't touch her…" James cut him off by shoving him sharply away, almost spitting with rage.

"The hell I shouldn't! She's my goddamn sister, don't you understand?" The prefect backed off and James turned his attention back to Lily. With utmost care, he lifted her head from the floor and placed it on his lap, so he was close enough to hear her erratic, uneven breathing. Her tiny body shuddered against him, her eyelids starting to flutter and jerk. He wanted to shake her or drag her to her feet, but he worried irrationally that if he touched her, she'd break. Pushing her hair back from her face, his heart tightened at the look on her face: pinched and pale and quivering.

"Come on, Lils, come on. Stop it, please, Lily please don't do this." He was dimly aware of people crowding to watch him, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered but Lily, beautiful, broken Lily. "Please, Lily, wake up. Lily!" His voice slowly rose, rising in pitch. He felt someone grab him and try to pull him to his feet, but he couldn't let go of her.

"James," he heard Teddy's voice. "Come on, man. Professor Longbottom's on his way. There isn't anything you can do."

Someone took Lily from his lap, while another pair of hands pulled him to his feet. He fought against them, but more hands pulled him upright, restraining him. Angrily, he tried to force himself free.

"Stop it! Let go! _Lily!_"

Teddy grabbed him and held him tightly, making James meet his gaze. James was dimly aware that he was crying, tears snaking down his cheeks and mixing with the blood from his nose. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

"James…"

"No! No, no, no, no…" James was rambling now, his words colliding with each other as he spoke. Panic choked him as he tried to find Lily, who was being blocked by a dense crowd of people.

"James, breathe. What the hell happened to you anyway?"

"_Me? _Who gives a damn about me, what's happened to her?"

"We don't know. A few girls brought her down when she passed out upstairs and then she started…twitching."

"She can't…she can't…Teddy, if I lose her…"

"I know, I know. You shouldn't touch her, we don't know what'll make it worse. "

James shoved Teddy out of the way and pushed through to when they'd lain Lily down on one of the armchairs. Leaning down, he gripped her beneath her knees and behind her head and lifted her up. His ribs stabbed with pain, but he ignored them.

"James, what are you doing?" asked the prefect.

"Taking her to the hospital wing."

"I don't know if…"

James turned on him, his eyes furious behind his tears. "I won't lose her. I won't." The prefect backed off, and James turned towards the portrait hold, Lily limp in his arms. After a few moments of stillness, she began to writhe and James feared he'd drop her, but he gripped on as stubbornly as he could. He continued on, his sister so light in his arms that he could barely feel her, even though she thrashed wildly. Someone opened the Portrait hole for him and he continued on, carefully. He looked down at her, his eyes fogged over and in that moment, he didn't see Lily convulsing in his arms. It was Al he saw, blanched and soaked with blue lips and empty eyes. He saw himself stumbling to drag his brother into the castle, shaking and freezing, unable to see through his streaming eyes. He'd screamed and screamed at the Professors to save him, but they'd just looked at him, pity and sorrow in their eyes. He wouldn't let anyone look at him that way again. Losing Al had been the worst mistake of his life and he'd been paying for it ever since. He would die before he lost Lily as well.

…..

He couldn't stop moving. Pacing and fidgeting, he circled the waiting room, running his hands through his hair. Her name had turned into a charm, which he murmured over and over again under her breath: _Lily, Lily, Lily_. He jumped when Rose stepped up beside him, her eyes red from crying.

"James…" she whispered, but James cut her off.

"Don't!" he interjected. "If you start, then I'll…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Rose sniffed, tears gleaming in her eyes.

"Where's Hugo?"

"I couldn't bear to tell him."

The waiting room was almost empty, with only Fred, Rose and James filling the ugly space. Several more people had wanted to get in, but James had thrown them out. He didn't think he could stand any more people.

Mrs Ines appeared from behind the curtains, her face drawn and concerned. James almost assaulted her, racing towards her.

"How is she? What's happening, what's wrong with her?"

Mrs Ines cleaned her spectacles, gnawing at her lip. "It seems she's ingested something. We aren't sure what it is, but we're doing everything we can. We've given her bezoars and all the other generic antidotes, but it doesn't seem to be having any effect."

For a moment, James heard nothing but the blood rushing in his ears. "She…she was poisoned?"

"It would seem so. I wouldn't say this, but….there might be a possibility of this being…intentional."

"Intentional? Like, someone wanted to hurt her?

"Well, it's possible, but highly unlikely. What I mean was, there's a chance she might…well, she might have done this to herself."

James shook his head manically. "No. Not Lily, she wouldn't."

"Has she been down lately, or depressed?"

"She didn't okay? Lily wouldn't leave us, not on purpose."

James spoke with conviction, but Mrs Ines didn't look altogether convinced. "Alright. Well, there isn't really anything we can do but sit tight. Perhaps you'd like us to take a look at you? You look like you've been through the wars."

"What? No, I don't matter. Listen, there has to be something we can do. What about Professor Zabini? He'd know how to make antidotes…"

"I'm afraid Professor Zabini is away on business. We sent word, but there's no way of knowing if he'll get it on time. Professor Longbottom's trying to manufacture a cure, and Professor Jones is working as hard as she can but…" Mrs Ines hesitated. "Perhaps you should write to your mother."

"No. No, Lily's going to be fine. She has to be fine."

"We'll do everything we can…"

"That's not good enough!" yelled James, flashing with fury. Mrs Ines looked taken aback, then annoyed.

"If you know some sort of potions prodigy, then please, let us know. Otherwise…"

"Potions prodigy," whispered James, his eyes brightening. "Of course."

"I beg your…"

James took off out of the hospital wing before the matron had even finished her sentence, ignoring Fred and Rose calling after him. He thundered down the steps of the silent castle towards the Slytherin common room, throwing himself at the wall.

"Open!" he yelled, thumping his fists against the stone. "Bloody open!"

Blood began to pool in his beaten knuckles and he stopped, defeated. Thinking desperately, he searched along the corridor. There were no Slytherins in sight, and there was no telling how long it would take before one of them arrived. He had no time to waste; even these precious moments were wasted.

With a sudden burst of inspiration, he grabbed the skull off the shelf, the one he'd transfigured a few days ago. The eye sockets widened as the bone jaw began to move in his grasp.

"How very rude, my boy."

"Please, it's an emergency. You're always out here, right?"

"Well, yes."

"So you know the password to get into the common room?"

"I'm not sure I like where this is headed."

"My sister swallowed something. No one knows what, but she's dying." The last word was hardly recognisable, choked and broken. "The only person I think might have a shot of saving her is behind that door, and I can't get in. I need you to help me."

"I'm afraid I can't. It's strictly against school rules."

James had to hold himself back from crushing the skull against the ground. "It doesn't matter! I need to get in now, it's a matter of life or death."

"I wish I could."

"Have you ever had someone you love die?" asked James, the desperation seeped from his voice. He was quiet and serious now.

"The curse of immortal consciousness is that eventually, everyone you love dies."

"But have you ever seen it? With your own eyes?"

The skull looked almost sad. "No."

"I have. I know what's it's like to look someone you love in the eye and know you're about to lose them. I know what it's like to know that you should be able to do something, but you can't. That moment, that corrosive, horrible moment plagues you for months afterwards and you tell yourself there _must _have been something you could have done. Those nights when you lie awake, just hating yourself with everything you've got. Even years afterwards, when you're all screwed up and cynical, you run it over and over again in your head, trying to pinpoint the moment when you made that stupid mistake that destroyed you. And everyone blames you, although they'd never say. They give you sympathetic words that make you want to shrivel up and die, but their eyes tell you what you always knew to be true: _it's your fault_." James caught his breath, burning tears dripping down his face. Angry at himself, he brushed them away and the skull watched him.

"I'm sorry," it said softly.

"I don't need you to be sorry. Too many people have been sorry for me for too long, myself included. What I need is Lily. I need her to be okay. I _need_ her."

"Win at all costs."

"What?"

"That's the password. I hope your sister pulls through."

"Thank you!" James placed the skull back in its place and spoke to the wall. "Win at all costs!" he roared. The wall slowly creaked aside, but James was too impatient to wait. He squeezed himself through the narrow doorway and flung himself into the room. It took him a moment to adjust to the green lighting.

"Potter?" Elina, who'd been sitting on a leather sofa near the entrance, several scraps of parchment resting in her lap. She rose to her feet angrily. "How the hell did you get in here?"

A Slytherin prefect with an unpleasant face approached him. He'd gotten the attention of most of the common room now, the noisy boy with the desperate, bruised eyes and the broken nose which had thankfully stopped spurting blood. The prefect sneered at him.

"You can't be here. You're going to have to leave immediately."

"I need to speak to Elina," started James as the prefect tried to walk him out. He shook him off aggressively.

"I don't want to talk to you," replied Elina with hostility.

"See?" remarked the prefect. "She doesn't want you. Now, out you go." He tried to grab James again, but was dodged once more.

"I don't care what she wants."

"What a gentleman," commented Elina dryly, turning back to her notes. The prefect had begun to lose patience and yanked James towards the portrait hole by his collar. James struggled to worm away, but he couldn't manage it.

"Lily's dying," roared James as he was dragged away. "She's been poisoned by something. Please, Elina, I need help."

The prefect dropped him, pitching him forward onto all fours. He got to his feet to see Elina, who was looking at him intently.

"Lily?" she asked quite differently, half rising.

"I know, okay? I have no right to ask anything of you. But Zabini's away and no one else has the knowledge of potions you do. Everyone I've spoken to says you have extraordinary talent when it comes to antidotes. I have no place and no right to ask this of you, but I need you."

For a moment, she looked lost. "I… what did she take?"

"I don't know. They gave her all the antidotes they can think of…"

"Even a bezoar?"

"Yes! They've done everything they can think of. I know you can do this."

"James, I don't know if I can…"

That was the moment James snapped. Rearing with an ugly rage, he grabbed the lamp that sat beside her and hurled it at the wall. Shattered green glass danced across the floor, causing shrieks to waft into the air. He knocked books and lamps from the table until they crashed upon the floor, torn up pages and pieces of sparkling glass. Hardly aware of what he was doing, he only stopped when Elina grabbed his hands and held him tightly.

"You'll hurt yourself."

"What do you want from me? Do you want me to say I'm an idiot? Fine! I'm an idiot. I'm an ass, I'm a coward and I do stupid, cruel things for no reason. But Lily…Lily is the only good thing I have in my life, she's the only thing that matters. I love her. I can't live without her. I won't see her die, I can't. So if you're saying no because you're angry at me, I completely understand, you have every right to hate me. But don't punish Lily just because I screwed up. She can't die, not like this."

Elina was still hesitant. "I could make it worse, so much worse. These sorts of things are awfully tricky and so disastrous if they go wrong…"

James bent in closer, so close he could have counted her eyelashes. "You of all people would understand. If there is a chance, however slim, that she can be saved, I need to try. Please."

Elina looked at him for a moment. "You shouldn't ask me for this."

"You're all I have," he answered breathlessly.

"Alright," she said quietly. James felt faint with relief.

"You'll do it?"

"I'll do my best."

James reached to hug her, but she flinched away.

"I'm sorry," he said hurriedly.

"It doesn't matter. Now, take me to your sister. Hurry."

**Chapter 18-Elina Goyle**

The little girl was fading fast, it didn't take a specialist to see that. There was no colour in her face and it had even faded from her lips, leaving them almost white. Her slender body was still aside from her fingers and feet, which twitched at random intervals. Unsteady bursts of breath, quiet and feeble, shook her thin chest sharply, but each one came as a relief. Even her eyelids jerked occasionally, showing sliders of the whites of her eyes, which made Elina feel slightly sick.

While James had been away, the waiting room had slowly filled with people: a hysterical Victoire, a comforting Scorpius beside a falsely brave Rose, a panicking Teddy, a quiet Lorcan, a sobbing Hugo and a despairing Fred with an expressionless face. Even Dom and Lois were there, drawing no attention to themselves as they sat with silent tears in their eyes. Elina had never known Dom to be so quiet and it scared her more than the sight of the sickened girl. James and she had been the only two allowed to see her, and she couldn't help but feel stabs of pity.

He knelt by her head, unable to cry. Elina watched as he grasped her white hand with his own, which was shaking heavily. She tried not to listen to his words, but they reached her anyway.

"You're going to be okay, you hear me? You are. You won't leave me, I won't let you. Remember what we used to say when Al died? It's you and me. And that's still true, okay? Don't leave me, not now. Please, Lilipad." He kissed her on the forehead and Elina heard him murmur "I love you" against her, over and over again. His body shuddered with suppressed tears and Elina looked away. She couldn't help feeling as though she were invading an immensely private moment, as though she didn't belong. She rested her hand against Lily's leg and started at the girls' face. In all truth, she had no idea what to do. She could whip up antidotes in the blink of an eye, but not if she didn't know what the person had ingested. As much as she wanted to hurt James, she could take no pleasure in this moment. This was more than he could bear, more pain than she would wish on anyone. In that moment, there was no pride or smugness in his face: he was as small and lost as a little boy, exhausted, spent and unable to lose anything else. She could easily have smashed James Potter's heart, but this boy…this boy was already broken. Hurting him seemed unthinkable.

"James…" she started, but the look her gave her was a heartbreaking plead.

"Can you help her?" His eyes glinted with unshed tear, his mouth trembling. She swallowed.

"I…I can try." _What are you doing? Tell him it can't be done!_ But James smiled, and it wasn't that cocky half-smile he often wore because he thought it was so charming. This was his actual smile, a rather lopsided affair that lit up his eyes and transformed his face. He was human now, young and vulnerable: she owed it to him to try.

"Thank you," he said breathlessly.

"Don't. Don't thank me." _Tell him the truth. Tell him you don't know what to do._ But she said nothing.

"Elina!" His voice stopped her and she turned. His face was earnest and bright with tears and hope. "I'm so, so sorry." His voice broke as he spoke. "I mean that, I do. I would do anything I could to take it back."

"Don't," she murmured again. "It doesn't matter." The dramas of the past few weeks were nothing in that moment.

"What are you going to do?" James asked the question she was dreading.

"I'll just…take a look at the…potion ingredients."

As Elina moved towards the door, the girl thrashed restlessly for a moment, a spasm passing through his body before she calmed down once more. James shushed her, stroking through her matted auburn hair. Elina turned and exited, her head bowed low.

The waiting room was a chaotic mess of sobs and screams, the sounds of mourning echoing loudly. Elina was jumped upon the moment she arrived, friends and relatives pawing like animals to get close to her.

"Is she okay?"

"What's happening?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Why won't anyone tell us what's happening?"

Elina pushed through. "Please, everyone calm down. They're doing everything they can."

"Why aren't we allowed in?" asked Rose tearfully. Elina didn't even care that she was nestled in Scorpius' arms.

"They don't want to crowd her." Elina edged her way towards the door. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Wait!" Hugo grabbed her, his face stricken. "She's going to be okay, right?"

Elina touched the top of his head gently. "I really hope so."

She managed to wait until she'd completely left the room to start panicking. Breathing heavily, she sank down the wall, spots dancing before her eyes. The room seemed to be closing around her, circling around her head until she wanted to throw up. She felt someone push something into her hand and her fist closed automatically.

"Breathe into it," came a voice from above her. "It'll help."

The object was a paper bag, which she pressed to her mouth. After a moment, her breathing slowed down and she resumed her calm.

"Thank you," she panted when she could breathe normally again. Looking up, she saw the person she'd least expected to see: Lorcan Scarmander. He crouched down beside her, the spitting image of Lysander aside from his dark hair.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Lorcan, his voice unexpectedly deep. Elina stared at him.

"Am I hallucinating?"

"I doubt it, unless I'm a figment of your imagination. I feel like if I was, I would know."

"You…talk?"

"When the mood strikes me."

Elina gaped at him. "But… but you didn't talk when I got the blame for trussing you up in that room."

"I didn't know you then."

"And you know me now?"

"My brother talks about you a lot."

Elina groaned. "What am I going to do, Lorcan? I don't know how to fix Lily. How could I possibly know, unless I know what she's taken? There are some generic antidotes, but if they aren't working…what can I do? Make every single antidote to every poison in existence?"

"Goose grass, poppyhead, Graphorn horn, rhododendron, re'em blood and silverweed."

Elina looked up. "What?"

"That's what she ingested."

"How do you know?"

"Because I gave it to her." Lorcan's face was serious, without even a hint of joking.

"You what?"

"I gave it to her. I didn't realise it would make her sick, I must have done something wrong. I can't think what."

"You made her a potion?"

"She was upset because she thought she didn't succeed in things, so I told her I'd help her."

Elina was both angry and mystified. "And you thought poisoning her would help?"

"There was an article on it in the Quibbler a few months ago. It's meant to increase a wizard's power."

"Are…are you _serious_?"

"I wouldn't joke about this. I wanted to say so before, but I didn't trust James not to beat me to the ground."

Elina stood. "You shouldn't trust me not to beat you to…" she stopped suddenly. "Wait. What were the ingredients again?"

"Goose grass, poppyhead, Graphorn horn, rhododendron…"

"Rhododendron?" Lorcan nodded. "That's deadly. It causes convulsions and slowed heart rate, even unconsciousness."

"Is it fatal?" asked Lorcan darkly. When Elina nodded, he closed his eyes. "I thought it would be okay."

"Well, _clearly _you were wrong!" screamed Elina, enraged. The look on Lorcan's face made her calm down. "I mean, it's not your fault. You didn't know."

"I would never hurt Lily on purpose."

"No, I know, no one would." Realisation struck. "Wait! Wait a second! Rhododendron right?"

"Yes."

"I know what to do!" Elina whooped with manic laughter. "I can fix this!" She hugged Lorcan so tightly that she almost lifted his petite body into the air. "You wonderful little boy!" Suddenly serious, she placed him back down on the stone. "Don't mess with potions, okay? She really could have died."

"So she won't die?" Lorcan's voice was leaden with relief, his entire body going slack. Elina hadn't realised how stressed he'd been until that moment.

"Not if I'm quick." She breathed out. "I can do this," she whispered to herself, elated. Hysterical laughter bubbled in her chest. "It's going to be okay." It had been a long time since she'd said those words and meant them.

…..

The pewter cauldron bubbled with an unappetising mauve liquid, so thick and gluggy that it was almost a paste. She stirred it twice counter clockwise, watching it turn a couple of shades light. She waited to let it sit, her leg jostling up and down in her anticipation.

After she'd spoken to Lorcan, she'd raced back into the waiting room. Rounding up the people she needed had only taken a few moments; most of them would have crawled over broken glass if it meant they could have saved Lily. The sort of antidote she needed was enormously difficult, but she'd always relished these sorts of challenges.

"Alright!" she'd said, clapping her hands together authoritatively. "Everyone! I need your attention." Eight grief-stricken and expectant faces had looked up at her. "There might be something I can do."

The cries of exultation had been practically deafening. Hugo had thrown himself into Rose's lap, Teddy had started to laugh, pulling Fred into a rough hug and Victoire had looked as though she was about to pass out on the floor. Elina had had to whistle to bring about silence once again.

"It might not work! I can start the antidote with some ingredients I have for practise but there's a few things I need and we don't have time for me to run about and get them."

"What do you need El?" Scorpius had asked, his voice firm. "Whatever it is, it's yours."

Elina had given him a weak smile. "I've already got some mastic, sulphur vive, wormwood and honey water. What I need you to get is dragon saliva, bloodroot, red myyrhe, veela hair bone…"

"Bone?" Victoire had asked, aghast.

"My father taught me this when I was about seven and my brother accidentally ate some oleander. It counteracts only the most dangerous of plant based poisons, completely sweeps out the system. You only need a little bone, my father used the carcass of a dead bird."

"What else?"

Elina had paused awkwardly. "Um…urine."

"Urine?" Eight voices had all cried out in perfect synchronisation.

"Urine is considered one of the purest substances. It creates the most perfect medicines and it'll cleanse her system."

Fred had looked perplexed. "Human urine, you mean?"

"Any urine, I suppose, but human's is easiest to get." Silence had reigned. "Oh, come on, one of you suck it up and pee in a cup. It's for Lily."

A grudging murmur of assent had passed through the waiting students. Elina had continued to speak. "I'll be in the second floor bathrooms, alright? Bring them there. Can you all remember the ingredients?"

Rose had waved a piece of parchment towards her. "I wrote them down."

"Of _course _you did." Elina had glanced about. "Where's James?"

"He won't leave her," Fred had answered. "Not even for a moment."

Elina had raced to the common room to retrieve her cauldron and her ingredients. Settling down in the second for classroom, she'd begun to create the most important potion of her life. It hadn't taken long for the ingredients to arrive, ready to be added to her concoction. Rose had visited her Uncle, who'd extracted the saliva of the dragon named after Lily, believing it to be a sign of good luck. Teddy had visited Grawp, who had a collection of bloodroot to feed his nifflers, and had returned with great handfuls of the white petals. Louis and Dom had both donated great chunks of their hair; although they were only an eighth veela, Elina hoped it would do the trick. Dom had almost wept when the strands were cut from her long, blonde locks, but Elina had no ability to put up with that sort of childish whining. Victoire had snuck into the potions storeroom and stolen a small vial of thick red myyrhe, which was so viscous it had clung stubbornly to the glass. Finally Fred had arrived, blushing furiously, with a flagon that Elina had tried to pour into the cauldron with as little contact as possible. Now the potion was almost perfect: all she needed was the bone. Elina paced nervously around the bathroom, drumming her fingers against the porcelain sink.

"You're the crying girl," came a voice from behind her. She jumped, almost knocking over the cauldron in her shock. Moaning Myrtle was hovering behind her, her translucent face equally smug and sullen.

"Damn, I forgot about you," Elina muttered, but the ghost wasn't listening. She was circling the cauldron thoughtfully, examining the contents.

"What's in here?"

"None of your business," answered Elina.

"It is if it's against school rules." Myrtle tutted. "I knew you were shifty."

"You knew _I_ was shifty?"

"Yes!" Myrtle's voice rose. "No one makes potions in the bathroom unless they're doing something wrong! Heaven knows, no one comes to visit poor Myrtle."

"I wonder why," said Elina dryly.

"Oh yes, sarcasm! As though I don't have enough to worry about aside from delinquents in my bathroom!"

"I'm not a delinquent."

"Well, at least you have your boyfriend to help you out of your stupid schemes. Meanwhile, I'm all alone…"

"My boyfriend? What are you talking about?"

"Him!" Myrtle wailed, pointing at the doorway. Elina followed her gaze to find James, leaning heavily on the doorway, his usually pale face reddened.

"Hi Myrtle," he said softly.

"Hi, not Harry."

"James," he corrected. Myrtle let out a moan as he shot her a questioning look.

"As though it matters!" She threw herself down into the sink, settling down against the porcelain to brood. James shook his head and turned to face Elina.

"I brought you something."

"At this point, unless it's a skeleton, I'm not impressed."

"I don't know about a skeleton, but will this do?" James pulled one hand out from behind his back to reveal it was holding a skull with wide sockets and a cracking jaw. She recognised it as one of the skulls from the Slytherin Common room.

"How did you get that?" she asked, approaching it. To her surprise, it was the skull who answered.

"He simply asked me, dear Lady."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realise you talked."

"Few do, my good Lady. And it seems I will not speak much longer."

Elina looked at it gravely. "You're okay with me using you in this potion? You understand…I'll need all of you."

"I do, my dear. But, you see, I am dead. I have been so for many years, and pretending otherwise has never done me any good. It is dreadfully cruel to have to live life unable to move, only able to speak when I am in contact with human flesh. That is consciousness, my dear, not living. Trading a non-life for the life of a child? That is no sacrifice, nor is it even a trade. It is hardly a price."

Elina felt an odd urge to hug the skull, but felt that it wouldn't be quite appropriate. "Are you sure?"

"I have been alive almost three hundred years. I believe that I've lived quite enough. Eleven is an unacceptable age to die, utterly unacceptable."

"Thank you," she murmured. James passed her the skull and she brought in over to the purple potion. The skull looked at her with a look that appeared almost benign.

"My dear Lady?"

"Yes?"

The skull lowered its rich voice. "I wouldn't be so quick to condemn the boy if I were you. Love is rare, but very obvious. I've seen it too often not to recognise it on the face of a young man."

Elina looked up at James, who was being harassed by Moaning Myrtle. Exhausted and frightened as he was, he still had the strength to upset her and Elina found herself smiling despite herself. The skull chuckled.

"A good man underneath I think you'll find. And I say man, not boy."

"Perhaps you're right." Elina leaned down and kissed the skull in the place she imagined his cheek to be. It giggled almost girlishly.

"It's been almost two hundred and sixty years since a lady kissed me. None so beautiful as yourself, of course."

"Thank you for this."

"Do not mention it. Just save the little girl."

"I'll do my best."

Steeling herself, Elina dropped the skull into the boiling liquid. A horrific scream pierced the air and for one awful moment she thought the skull was yelling in pain. However, any noise the skull had made was covered by the sound of Myrtle's ear-shattering screech. James blocked his ears, reeling backwards.

"You kill him!" she cried, raising herself from the sink into the air. "He was a perfect gentleman and you killed him, you killed him, you killed him!"

"Myrtle…" started Elina.

"You're all heartless, you horrific horrible people! I hate you, I hate you all!" With a wail, she threw herself down the drain, seeking down through the porcelain. James raised his eyebrows.

"That was dramatic."

"Tell me about it." She looked down at the potion. The bone had dissolved the moment it had touched the liquid and she hoped that meant the skull hadn't suffered. The potion was now pearly green, pale and shining. She looked up at James, smiling.

"It's perfect!"

James looked as though he could pass out. "Really?"

"Absolutely perfect. I thought the veela hair would be too weak, but…Potter!" Elina jumped up, her hand pressed to her mouth as James buckled forwards, falling to his knees.

"So, she's going to be okay?"

"Yeah." Elina laughed a little. "She'll be fine."

James was crying properly now, his hand pressed to his mouth, narrowly avoiding his broken nose. Elina couldn't bear seeing it for another moment. "_Episky!_" she cast, wincing at the sound of his nose cracking back into place. He didn't even seem to notice.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked him, stepping closer.

"I just…" He cackled almost hysterically, half rising to his feet as his body shook with an odd mixture of laughter and weeping. "I can't believe it! I was so sure I'd lose her and I can't…I can't…"

"She's going to be fine," she said awkwardly, crouching beside him.

"Why did you do this for me?" asked James, grabbing at her hand. He practically pulled her onto the floor beside him.

"What do you mean?"

"I was so awful to you. Why would you help me?"

"I don't know." She struggled to explain. "You're just a guy, Potter. You screw up. Maybe I can't forget or forgive what you did. That doesn't mean you should be punished for the rest of your life for it. Especially not like this." She patted him on the shoulder lightly. "Besides, I think you've suffered enough."

James just looked at her, his eyes shining. "I meant what I said, you know."

"What?"

"I do love you."

Elina shook her head sadly. The other day, she hadn't believed the words; now she would have given anything to not believe him again. "I don't understand you at all, James Potter."

"Maybe I don't want you to."

She looked at him quizzically. He was like an odd puzzle or riddle she couldn't quite solve. But Elina would never bet on a puzzle. "You should go to Lily."

"I should," he replied softly. Elina left him and scooped the potion in vial, which she handed to him.

"Give her the entire bottle, I'm not sure how much it'll take."

He took her hand, the bottle encased in her grip. "Thank you, Elina," he said meaningfully.

"You're welcome, Potter."

He smiled. "You can call me James, you know."

"I wouldn't hold my breath, if I were you. Now, get out of here." She gave him a soft push and he took off running. She could hear his footsteps receding into the distance even from the bathroom. Wrapping her arms around herself, she listened to him go.

"Good luck, James," she whispered to herself, her voice echoing loudly about the marble bathroom.

**Chapter 19-Scorpius Malfoy**

Scorpius almost skipped into the common room, the sight of Rose filling him with an odd sense of disbelief. It was different than it had been when he was on Amortentia, less intense and all-encompassing. Oddly enough, he liked being able to tell the difference: it made his feelings for Rose feel more real. He knew that he should be mad at her, but couldn't seem to turn against her. It was hard not to forgive someone who was so genuinely sorry.

His happy reverie was burst by the sight of Elina, curled up by the fire. Parchment was rested against her knee and a beautiful feathered quill he'd never seen darted over the page. As he approached, he saw that the paper was being filled, not with writing, but with tiny drawings. He crouched beside her.

"Hard at work, I see."

"Yes, sometimes I wonder why I'm not top of every class."

"Who needs school when you have such extraordinary artistic ability?" He pointed at the page. "That's a pretty good dog, though."

"That's a Hippogriff."

"Hmm. So maybe I wouldn't give up my day job just yet." She snorted and he rested his head on the wall beside her. "Where were you yesterday? You vanished straight after you made the antidote, James came up by himself. You missed Lily waking up."

"I thought it was more of a family affair. Besides, I was tired."

"Well, you missed a lot of crying and hugging. I think maybe you should have been there." Scorpius felt a stab of frustration but made sure it didn't bleed into his voice. "El, you did an amazing thing. Don't you realise? That girl would have died."

"My dad taught me that potion. I didn't do anything special."

He angled himself so she couldn't look away. "El, I have never been more proud of you. I mean, I knew you were good at potions, but I had no idea you could do stuff like that. Especially James Potter's little sister."

"What was I going to do? Not help her because her brother's an ass?"

"A lot of girls wouldn't have."

"That's not true."

"Actually, it is. Grudges make people do stupid things."

Elina finally looked at him. "How is she?"

"Sick as a dog, but so much better. She's completely stable at this point. There's no chance she won't pull through."

"Thank god." The relief on Elina's face was radiant.

"Which you'd know if you stuck around."

"To be honest, I just couldn't face Potter."

"I assume you mean James Potter."

"No, Lily," she answered dryly. "I was terrified on the comatose child I was trying to save."

Scorpius smiled, content. "Good, sarcasm. That means you're feeling better. Now, tell me what's happening with James."

"What happened is, he's an idiot and I hate him." answered Elina sharply, albeit rather childishly. Scorpius knew when to back off.

"Alright then. I just wanted you to know how amazing I think you are."

"Thanks." She held out her parchment so that a corner of it set alight. Scorpius watched as she held it until the flames licked dangerously close to her fingertips before hurling it into the fireplace. With a sigh, she turned to him.

"You're in a good mood. How's Rose?"

"Good," he answered, feeling the corners of his mouth pulling up despite himself. "A little shaken after last night, but good."

"Look at you. Desperately in love with the girl who drugged you for weeks. I suppose there's no accounting for taste." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"What about you?" asked Scorpius, giving her a soft kick. "In love with the boy who engineered the whole thing."

Elina's face fell, then hardened. "I'm not in love with him. I can't stand him."

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." When Elina said nothing, Scorpius prodded her. "I see the way you look at him. I know you too well."

He saw her give up, smiling a little. "Yeah, you do."

"We sure can pick 'em, can't we?"

"Oh yes. The witch and the rat, aren't we lucky?"

"Love is pretty weird."

"I think my life would be much easier if I just bought a caravan and half a dozen cats."

"Oh yeah. That's the dream."

For a few minutes, they both sat and watched the fire crackle and hiss. Then, rising to his feet, he stretched out his hand to Elina.

"What?" she asked. "Are you going to lead me off into the sunset?"

"Dance with me," he said simply.

"I'm not going to dance with you," she laughed. "There are people here."

"So? They won't care, we won't make any sound or anything. People are far too busy with their own lives to care about ours."

"There's no music."

"Since when does Elina Goyle need music to dance?"

"Not happening."

"Dance with me."

"No."

"Dance with me."

"I said n-"

"Dance with me. Dance with me. Dance with me."

"I hate you."

"You know I'm going to keep saying it until you say yes."

"Yeah, I know." She let him pull her too her feet and he grasped her around the waist, still gripping her hand. He pulled into a strange, arrhythmic sway that was somewhere between a waltz and a tango. The common room was just about empty now, with only a few seventh-years remaining as most of them had classes to get to: the few that remained were so busy with their work that they only cared enough to glance up for a second and roll their eyes derisively. Elina laughed as Scorpius twirled her, almost being whipped in the face by her hair.

"You know that repeating trick?"

"You mean my brilliant method of persuasion?"

"That's how you first got me to go out with you."

"Yeah. I remember." The memory made him feel oddly sad. He'd asked her out because they'd been friends for such a long time that it seemed bizarre not to give dating her a chance. Besides, people had kept mistaking them for a couple already, it had seemed so easy. He felt bad for it now. She deserved much better than to be a second choice.

"You know what, El?"

"What?"

"Sometimes, I wish you and I had worked out."

She twirled around again. "So do I."

"Do you think we would have? I mean, if I'd never met Rose and you'd never met James. Do you think we would have been together for a long time?"

"I think we would have figured it out eventually."

"That we were just friends?"

"Best friends."

"Best friends," he repeated happily. He dipped her, making her squeal inelegantly. "I always know you to cheer you up."

"Don't be too cocky. I could be crying on the inside."

"El, can I give you some advice?"

"You can give it to me. I probably won't take it."

He laughed. She was probably right, anyway. "Okay, well, here it goes. Happiness doesn't just come to you, El."

"Well, that was cheerful."

"I mean it. You can't just sit and expect happiness to come flying your way. It's a choice. You have to want it and go after it and seize it by the scruff of the neck. If you want to be happy, you have to work for it."

Elina narrowed her eyes at him, stopping still. "You want me to talk to Potter, don't you?"

"I just think…"

"No. Not happening."

"He deserves that much, don't you think?"

"He deserves nothing."

"You are being incredibly childish right now."

"What would you have me say, Scorpius? Hi, Potter, sorry about all the screaming and insults, but I actually love you! Yeah, that'll go down really well."

"It's making you miserable." Without waiting for her approval, he pulled her towards the portrait hole.

"Where are we going?"

"Don't you trust me?" he teased.

"No," she replied, but Scorpius always knew when she was lying. He managed to get her up to the second floor before she ground her heels into the ground.

"Where are you taking me, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice serious.

"I'm taking you to talk to Potter." She started to protest, but Scorpius cut her off. "El, I know what it's like to be in love. But I also know you. You are going to internalise this and torture yourself with it. You need to talk to him."

"I will. Later!" she whined, but Scorpius shook his head.

"No, now. If you put it off, you'll never do it." He pulled her closer. "You can do this. You have to do this."

When he took off again, Elina followed almost willingly. He strode into the hospital wing, all the way through to Lily' bed, surrounded with thin, white curtains. The girl was asleep now, her cheeks having regained some colour, her hand in her brother's grip. James was beside her, clinging to her so tightly it seemed he was frightened to let her go. He looked up in surprise as Elina and Scorpius entered, and Scorpius could see that his eyes were surrounded by dark, bruise-like circles, even though his black eyes had been fixed by Mrs Ines last night.

"Did you spend the night here?" asked Scorpius. James nodded feebly.

"I wanted to be here when she woke up again. What are you two doing here?"

Scorpius nudged Elina forwards and she went, albeit a little grudgingly. "I need to talk to you," she said quietly. James blinked.

"Um…sure, okay." He rose as though to get up, but found himself impaired by his unwillingness to let go of Lily. "Do you mind if we talk in here?"

"Sure," she answered nervously.

"Well," said Scorpius after a short, uncomfortable silence. "I'll be off then."

"No!" Elina practically yelled the word. "I'd rather you stayed," she continued more quietly and Scorpius obeyed, settling himself in one of the chairs at the far end of the curtained-off area. He watched as Elina turned to James, trembling very slightly.

"Potter… about what you said before…"

"It doesn't matter," he said gently. "You were right. It doesn't change anything."

"Yes, but this might." Scorpius heard Elina swallow loudly. "Listen. I think…I think I…I…" she turned around. "Scorpius!" she hissed desperately, her eyes pleading.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Elina wants you to know that she loves you too," he informed the room. Pleased with himself, he leaned back with a smile.

James could not have looked more shocked. His mouth open and closed like a goldfish, but his hand could not release Lily's. It seemed almost as though his hand was glued to hers.

"What?" he asked hoarsely, still looking at Scorpius. "She does?"

"Yes," answered Scorpius proudly.

"But…really?"

"Yeah, she really does. Trust me, she's been miserable about it."

"That's…insane. That's crazy." James was grinning wildly, laughter barely contained in his words. "That's amazing!"

"Well, like I said. So long as you make her happy."

"Hey! Guys!" Elina said loudly, clapping her hands together. "I'm also here!"

"You wanted me to speak for you," argued Scorpius defensively.

"Yeah, well…shh," she replied, turning back to James. She stepped towards him and he looked at her, equally perplexed and delighted.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"Yes." Scorpius was surprised by the strength behind Elina's voice. She stepped closer to James, touching his cheek with the end of her fingertips. Scorpius suddenly felt as though he were encroaching on an incredibly private moment when Elina spoke again. "But this isn't right." Scorpius' eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline.

James frowned. "What?"

Shaking her head sadly, Elina drew her fingers away from James' face. "You know this wouldn't work. You know that."

"Is this because of the Amortentia? Because I swear, I know that was a horrible, horrible mistake. I could make it up to you, though. I could."

James' face looked so earnest, even to Scorpius, that he couldn't imagine hurting someone so vulnerable. Bur Elina stayed firm. "It's not that. Well, I mean, it is. But it isn't only that."

"Whatever it is, I can make it up to you. I will, no matter how long it takes."

Scorpius heard the catch in Elina's voice, but she forced it back. "It would be a disaster, you and I. We're far too alike."

"So you agree?" asked James with a half-smile

"Yeah, you wore me down on that one." Elina sat down on the side of the bed, careful not to sit on Lily. "Potter, we're both…_so_ messed up."

James laughed, taken aback. "We are aren't we?"

"Big time." Scorpius hadn't seen Elina smile that widely in a long time. "Don't you see? We'd destroy each other. Even if I loved you enough, even if you loved me enough, it wouldn't work. We're both too angry, too aggressive, too quick to react."

"That's not true."

"It is."

"We could make it work. If we wanted it enough, we could."

"We'd just end up hurting each other."

"No we wouldn't! You can't know that!"

Suddenly, Elina reached out to hold James' one empty hand. She, James and Lily were a sort of triangle now and Scorpius wondered if he should slip away.

"Look at us, Potter," murmured Elina. "We're arguing about whether or not we would argue."

"Perhaps not the most promising start."

"No, perhaps not. We can't do this. We've both been hurt enough and have been through far too many stressful experiences to go into a relationship that we know is going to end badly. We can't be with people like ourselves. Putting two broken things together doesn't fix them. It just makes a mess."

"So what? We find wholesome, mentally balanced partners to guide us through our journey of recovery?"

"I suppose so."

"What, like Scorpius?" asked James, pointed at Scorpius, who shifted uncomfortably. He'd hoped he'd been forgotten

"For me or for you?" responded Elina with a harsh laugh. "No, he's taken. But someone like that, yes. Someone who'll balance you out."

"We wouldn't have to pretend with each other. You'd never have to act like everything's okay when inside you're all angry and sad."

"No. We'd just wallow in our own misery and hurt until we became those cynical old people that just sit together and hate the world. We don't have to be that way, not if we try and get better now."

"Is this want you want?" asked James finally.

"No. It's what we both have to do." She bent forwards to kiss him on the cheek and his skin flushed. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, that's my line."

"Well, I'm sorry nonetheless."

"Don't worry." James' voice was falsely cheerful. "You aren't the first woman to be swept away by my immeasurable charm and good looks."

"And now you're a cocky arse again."

"You love that side of me."

"Yes, well…" Elina struggled. "I should go." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Scorpius by the hand and started to pull him outside the waiting room.

"Elina!" Elina turned at the sound of her name being called, but Scorpius stayed near the curtain, hoping to be able to leave soon.

"Yes?" asked Elina.

"Say it," said James, his voice low and slightly desperate. "Just once. Then, I promise I'll leave you alone forever."

"What good can it possibly do?"

"I need to hear it. I need to hear you say it. Please."

Elina took a sharp intake of breath. She paused a moment or two before she spoke, her voice hushed. "I love you, Potter."

The look on James' face was enough: no answer was needed but he gave one anyway. "I love you too, Elina."

She nodded and Scorpius' hand found hers; he winced as her nails dug into the skin of his palms. Without another word, she turned to exit the room, leaving James still clinging to Lily like a sailor to a life-raft. When they reached the waiting room, Elina turned to face Scorpius.

"I am so, so proud of you…" he started, but was interrupted by Elina bursting into tears. He'd never seen Elina cry properly; she was the sort of person who cried in private, away from people. A feeling of helplessness crushed his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could make the awful sound stop. It took a good five minutes of consoling for her to be able to speak again, and when she could, her words weren't exactly promising.

"Malfoy, next time you get a brilliant idea to inspire my happiness, keep it to yourself, okay?"

"You will be happy. I promise."

"Do I look happy to you?" she scoffed, wiping smeared make up from her eyes.

"You did what you had to do. It may not have been easy, but it was necessary, and that's something."

"Sometimes, I really hate you."

"Thanks for the sometimes." Stepping back, he examined her distraught face. "You're going to be fine. You know that right?"

"More advice?"

"It's what I do."

Scorpius started to lead Elina towards the door of the hospital wing when it opened quite forcefully. Standing in the doorway were Rose and Lysander, both of them jumping when they saw they weren't alone.

"Elina!" started Rose with trepidation.

"Rose," answered Elina coldly. Scorpius knew she was only being hostile to make Rose squirm; she was quite alike her brother in that way. Rose looked at Scorpius in discomfort before turning her attention back to Elina.

"Lysander was looking for you," explained Rose. "I said you might be here, so we checked."

"Hi, Lysander," greeted Elina, composed. Lysander, however was not to be fooled.

"You've been crying," he remarked. Elina wiped her eyes self-conciously.

"It's nothing," she coughed. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to apologise on behalf of my brother. He claims to have apologised to you himself, but I myself have heard a few of Lorcan's apologies. He is not a master of the craft."

"It's fine. He's only a child, he didn't know what he was doing."

"He used to feed them to himself as well. Perhaps not the same one, as his symptoms were never quite as severe. He believes very strongly in such magic."

"He's right, it's a beautiful craft. It's extraordinarily dangerous when not properly regulated, though."

Scorpius jumped as Rose appeared next to him and he turned away from the conversation.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hey handsome. Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

"None in the slightest."

She ran her hand over his shoulder and his skin tingled at her touch, even through the material. "You have makeup on your shirt."

"I do?"

"Should I be jealous?" she teased.

"You have nothing to worry about," he kissed her on the nose. "Your cousin's fine by the way."

"Lily or James?"

"Lily. To be honest, I have no idea if James is okay."

Rose sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think anyone does, not even Teddy or Fred."

"You have quite the family."

"Don't I just?"

As their conversation faltered, the suddenly tuned into Lysander and Elina. The two of them were laughing, and when he looked at Elina, there were no longer tears in his eyes. They were bright blue and shinning. Rose gave Scorpius a knowing look, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"Do you think now's the moment for us to leave?" she asked.

"I think the moment for us to leave arrived a few minutes ago. Now is the moment for us to be long gone."

The couple slunk out of the room silently, leaving Elina and Lysander to talk in the waiting room. The started to walk down the corridor, Scorpius' arm slung around Rose's shoulders. She fit perfectly.

"She still hates me, doesn't she?" asked Rose as they went.

"Who, El? Nah. Well, actually, she might, but that's to be expected. I promise, she'll get used to you. She just needs a little time."

"To be honest, I'm actually pretty awed. Most girls would have sabotaged us by now, or at least cursed me."

"Well, Elina is one of the rare few who will punch you in the face, but won't ever be underhand or sneaky."

"That's a pretty good view of life."

"It is. I mean, it doesn't get you very far, but it has a certain honour about it."

Rose hesitated. "I really am sorry for what I did to her, you know. Do you think I should apologise?"

"She knows you are. And in all truth, I think El's a little relieved. She never really had feeling for me; I probably just saved her the trouble of breaking up with me."

"She's going to be okay though, right?"

"Elina?" Scorpius smiled to himself. "Oh yes. Elina's going to be just fine. She always is."

**Chapter 20- Elina Goyle**

"Merry Christmas!"

The sound of Lysander's voice woke Elina up with a start. Groggily, she pulled herself upright, looking about the room. She'd been lying draped across an armchair, her head dangling over the armrest.

"Lysander?" She blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "How…how did you get in here?"

"I waited outside until someone let me in."

"You did?"

"Of course." He bent down and touched his lips to hers. "I wanted to be the first person to wish you a merry Christmas."

."You shouldn't have." Elina stood and stretched. "I can't believe I slept down here again."

"That's probably why you get all those backaches."

"Probably. Hey, did I say Merry Christams?"

"You know, I don't believe you did."

"Merry Christmas." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, breathing in the familiar scent of his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Elina. But there's another reason I'm here."

"What?"

Lysander smiled purely. "It's our three month anniversary."

"You're kidding," gasped Elina, her hand pressed to her mouth.

"No, I'm not. Happy anniversary."

"Oh my god. I can't believe I forgot, I'm so sorry…"

"I don't mind. Really, I don't." Elina knew he was telling the truth: Lysander had no ability to be angry or upset.

"I'll make it up to you," she said, smiling playfully. "Perhaps with a Christmas present?"

Lorcan looked at her, pleasantly surprise. "You got me a present?"

"Yeah, yeah I know, you don't celebrate Christmas and all that. But of course I got you a present, don't be silly."

"Good." He reached down and drew out a gift-wrapped parcel that had been resting on the floor, by the side of the armchair. "Because I got you a present as well."

She reached for her bag and pulled out his present, which she'd wrapped in paper decorated with small golden snitches and tied with a green and silver bow. They exchanged and she started to tear the paper, stopping when she saw that he was simply running his fingertips over the wrapping paper.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to guess what's inside."

"Just open it and you'll find out."

"But guessing is half the fun."

Elina paused, considered. "Nup, I'm good." She ripped the paper away, shredding the material aside. The present fell to her lap and she gasped in delight.

It was a drawing of her face, down to the last detail. She knew it must be her; she'd seen the same features in the mirror every day. However, this depiction of her was far more beautiful than she'd even been. She was laughing, her head back and her face creased with smile lines, a curtain of straight dark hair down to her waist. Elina stared at it for a moment, before looking up at Lysander, who was absolutely thrilled. The book clasped in his hand was one she'd chosen specially: _Magical Conspiracy Theories of the Twenty First Century Volume IV-The Ministry of Magic._

"This is the one missing from my collection!"

"I know. It took ages to find it. The only ones that seem to be around are number seven and number three."

"Oh yeah, _The Education System _and _The Great War. _Classics."

She held up the drawing. "You did this?"

"Yes."

"I mean…when? Why?"

"There are moments when people are perfect. When they're frozen in a moment when, no matter who they are or what they look like, they are extraordinarily beautiful. That moment was yours. I don't think I captured it quite right, but I tried."

"It's beautiful. I mean, you're so talented. I knew you were, of course, but this is…"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." She hugged him and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Thank you."

"Thank you!" As he pulled away, he opened the book in his lap and flipped through it. "Look! They've covered the spies infiltrating the lowest class of the ministry, all the way up to the rigged election of the Minister for Magic."

"I'm glad you're happy."

"Oh Merlin, am I."

Elina found herself fascinated by the picture once more. "When was this?"

"Your moment?"

"Yeah. When did I look like this?"

"That day in November when James Potter flew into the Great Hall."

Elina remembered that day very well. James had been banned from competing in Quidditch for a month after he whacked Dylan Wood on the head during practise with some excuse that he was giving them pep talks at an unreasonable hour. Afterwards, he'd claimed that they could take away his flying practise, but they couldn't stop him from flying. He'd soared into the Great Hall astride his Lightning 5000, being desperately chased by a limping Argus Filch and a sprinting Coach Wood. His victory lap around the Great Hall knocked over half of the candles and a load of plates laden with food. Although she'd been avoiding his gaze since admitting she loved him, she'd laughed until she thought her sides would split. Looking at the drawing, she thought of that day with an odd, leaden sort of sadness. James and she hadn't spoken in months; the pain of seeing him had died slowly.

"That was my moment?"

He smiled at her. "I believe so."

"Oh."

Lysander looked at her with his wise, knowing eyes. Sometimes, it seemed as though he knew everything about her, as though she saw straight through her.

"There's another reason I came here today," he told her, settling in the chair beside her.

"Really?"

"Yes. I have another Christmas present for you."

"Oh do you?" Elina smiled, her fingers locked on the sketch.

"Yes I do." His gaze was so intense, so powerful, that she wanted to look away. Even after months of dating him, she was unused to the magnitude of his astuteness and simple, benevolent intelligence. "Elina, I'm setting you free."

She spluttered despite herself. The words her so ludicrous, so unexpected, that she couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm setting you free."

"Yeah, I heard you. I just don't understand. I'm not your prisoner."

"You don't love me."

Elina furrowed her brow. "I never said I did. It's been three months. Isn't it enough that I really, really like you?"

"It's enough for me, but not for you."

"Lysander, what the hell are you talking about? Are you breaking up with me?"

"No. You're breaking up with me, you're just convincing yourself otherwise."

"You don't have to play these mind games. If you don't want to be with me, just say so, okay?"

Lysander didn't even blink, even when she raised her voice. When he spoke, he was perfectly calm. "Elina, you and I have had a wonderful time. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But we've been dating for three months and you've never been even a quarter as happy as you were when you saw James that moment."

It took Elina a moment to realise what he was implying. "You think I'm in love with Potter?"

"Yes."

His blatant honesty caught her off guard. "Ly, it's nothing to do with him. I haven't even spoken to him in months, not since Lily woke up."

"I would never do this if I didn't think it was for the best."

Elina almost yelled. "Lysander, listen to me! I am not in love with James Potter! Do I even get a choice in the matter?"

"I don't think you do."

"Maybe I don't want him. I'm over him."

His smile never faltering, he moved towards her and sat on the arm of her chair. "You tried to leave him, I know. And I know you care about me. But it isn't the same with me as it is with him. I know you, Elina. I know when you're happy and when you're not. I don't make you happy. James Potter, irritating as he may be, does."

"No he…"

Lysander raised his finger to quieten her. "Just humour me. Describe James Potter."

"Describe him?"

"Yes."

"Um…" Elina thought for a second. "He acts like he's all arrogant and cocksure, like he doesn't care about anybody. He preens around like he thinks he's better than everyone, but he knows he isn't. Once he's off his schedule or something goes wrong, he's like a lost little boy. He's clever, cleverer than he lets on and he's loyal. He's not as attractive or charming as he thinks he is. He puts on this cocky half-smile that he thinks made him look good, but his real smile is…beautiful, I guess..."

Lysander sighed. "And you love him."

"Oh my god! First Scorpius, now you…why do you boys continuously date me and then tell me I'm in love with James Potter?"

"Because you are."

"Even if I were, it wouldn't matter. He's dating Pari's cousin, what's her name. Pavana Patil-Sherma."

"It's worth a try, don't you think?"

"Ly, four months ago, I told Potter that I didn't want to date him. That I couldn't be with him. And I was right. He and I…we wouldn't work. You and I work."

"We do. But working isn't everything. Just because we work, doesn't mean we can make each other happy. Same with James and Pavana. You want me. You love James."

"So, what? I tell him I love him and hope he takes me back after all these months?"

"It's Christmas, remember? The day of forgiveness and all that. If you're ever going to do it, it's today."

"Nothing's changed. It can only end badly between Potter and me."

"You don't know that. You can't possibly know that. Besides, does it really matter, in the end? You'd make each other happy."

For the first time, Elina allowed herself to picture it. After the endless months of silence and awkward glances in the corridor, a chance to be with James. A thought struck her and she shook her head.

"He's happy with Pavana."

"You're happy with me. What does that mean, at the end of the day?"

"What would I even do? What would I say? I blew my chance with him."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes, necessarily. It's over, Lysander."

"Okay," he murmured. "If that's how you feel."

"It is."

"Alright." He stood up, kissing her on the cheek. "Happy Christmas."

"You too Lysander."

As he walked away, she watched him go, wondering if they were still together or not. She glanced down at the drawing in her hand, at the smiling girl imprisoned in the page. With a sigh, she turned the page over and collapsed back into the armchair.

"Well," she said to herself. "This is going to be a wonderful Christmas."

…..

She was still sitting in the chair when Scorpius returned, covered in snow.

"Hey Sleepyhead," he greeted her. "Sleep down here again?"

"It would seem so. I thought you were going home yesterday?"

"Yeah, heaps of people were. But there's a complication with the Hogwarts Express, it should be fixed by tomorrow."

"That sucks. So, you have to spend Christmas here?"

"Well, we'll have a second Christmas tomorrow, I assume." He looked her up and down critically. "Good Christmas?"

"The best," she answered, her voice spiked with sarcasm.

"Oh well. I've got something that'll cheer you up."

"Is it… a unicorn ride atop a rainbow path?"

"Are you ever going to stop teasing me about that? It was a great present, Rose loved it! You don't get it, it's because she once said…" he shook his head. "Never mind. Come on, present time."

"Urgh." She rose from her chair, surprised when Scorpius beckoned her outside the portrait hole. "Where are we going?"

"To your present."

"Can't you bring it here?"

"It's not that sort of present."

"Now you really piqued my interest."

"I'll take what I can get to get you bloody moving."

"Fine, fine."

The moment she stepped outside, he placed his hands over her eyes.

"Okay, Scorpius, I don't know if you're trying to be cute or what…"

"Shut up, it's for the surprise. Step down until I say stop."

She obeyed carefully. "This is a stupid idea."

"You're ruining my present."

"Really? Will the dramatic fall that causes me to break my neck also ruin your present?"

"Yes. Stop stepping down. Now turn to you right. El, that's your left. Okay, good."

"This had better be worth it."

"It will be. You're very hard to buy for. Step down until I say stop."

"Well, we can't all be worthy of a unicorn ride on a rainbow."

"Aren't you ever- stop walking- going to stop talking about that?"

"No never. I mean, a whole month of detention for stealing a unicorn just to give your girlfriend a ride."

"Yeah well. Turn left, then keep walking straight. If they didn't want people to borrow their creatures, they should lock them in."

"I think they probably have now."

"And they have me to thank for pointing out that major security flaw. Stop walking."

"Are we here?"

"We are indeed." Scorpius withdrew him hands and Elina blinked in the sudden light, gazing expectantly about her.

"Um, Scorpius?"

"Yes?"

"This is the utility closet."

"I know."

"You got me cleaning supplies?"

"Better. Much better."

Drawing his wand, he tapped the lock with his wand with a soft mutter. The door flew open and he pushed Elina inside, slamming the door after her.

"Hey! Wha-" Elina turned and thumped her fists against the door and they throbbed in pain. "Scorpius! You know I don't like the dark! Or confined spaces! Scorpius!"

"Here, just say Lumos and flick your wand," came a voice from behind her. "You should know that spell already."

She turned to see James Potter, standing at the very back of the closet, leaning against the shelves. His wand was emitting a soft light which illuminated nothing but his face. Elina turned away, understanding.

"Scorpius, this isn't going to work! Do you hear me? Worst idea ever!"

"So young Malfoy is the puppet master," said James thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" asked Elina in exasperation.

"Well, I've been in here for about twenty minutes. The door's locked, not even _alohamora _does anything."

"Did Scorpius drag you down here?"

"Actually no. It was your boyfriend, the Scarmander kid."

"Not my boyfriend anymore, I can assure you. Why. Won't. You. Open!" she roared, punctuating each word with a kick.

"Oh really? What happened?"

"He dumped me is what happened." She rattled the doorknob desperately.

"When?"

"Today." Her fingers were becoming raw and sore.

"On Christmas? That's low."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't usually celebrate Christmas, their dad doesn't believe in it. Besides, he thinks he had a good reason. Dammit!" The handle came off in her hands.

"And why's that?"

"Oh, he thinks I'm still in love with you, which is why we're in this stupid closet in the first place."

"Well, that's…stupid."

"Isn't it just?" She flung the knob across the room, narrowly avoiding James' shoulder. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Stop freaking out, you'll hurt yourself."

"Are you not registering that we're trapped in here?"

"There's no way out. Believe me, I've checked. Besides, it's only Malfoy and Scarmander, easiest to just wait for them to feel bad and let us out."

She sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged against the stone. "Remind me to kill them when I get out of here."

"You'll have to take a number."

For a moment, they heard nothing but the sound of dripping water as they sat in silence. Elina had never had any tolerance for awkward silences.

"So…" she remarked. "Still here for Christmas? How come?"

"Lils went home early, but I was going to go yesterday. But the magical trains are stopped in the station, so here I am, unfortunately."

"Hey! Are you saying that being trapped in a utility closet with me isn't your ideal way to spend Christmas?"

"Oh yeah, this is the high life. How about you, why aren't you at home?"

"We don't really do family Christmases anymore."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Mum's not really up to it, I guess." That was something of an understatement. Every time Christmas came around, she slept for days, surrounded in photos of her husband and tissues stained with tears. After her third year, Elina had stopped going home for Christmas; Vincent had given up long before.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't kill my dad," she tried to joke. Leaning back, she clunked her head against the door.

"Well, isn't this a fabulous Christmas."

She smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"Just fine and dandy. Lily might have started a cult devoted to you."

"Oh good, I've always wanted my own cult. Little minions to do my bidding."

"What else…I'm going to fail my NEWTs."

"What a coincidence, I'm going to fail my OWLs."

"And Fred has now actually beaten Teddy at being the most nauseating boyfriend."

"Don't even try. You will never beat Rose and Scorpius."

"Yeah, I heard about the unicorn."

"He painted the ground into a rainbow. A _rainbow_."

James laughed. "Boyfriend of the year award, here comes Scorpius Malfoy."

"How's Pavana?" asked Elina, mostly to remind herself that Pavana existed. James was always so easy to talk to, so light and easy. She's missed him more than she'd even realised.

"Pav? She's fine. She went home for Christmas a little while back."

"Oh okay."

"I really am sorry about Scarmander."

"Ah, don't be. To be honest, I'm not even sure if he broke up with me."

"Look at us. Dating mentally healthy people."

"They're great aren't they?"

"The best."

Once again, a still silence filled the closet, until James broke it.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

"I guess until Lysander and Scorpius are satisfied."

"When will that be?"

"I guess when I admit my deep romantic feelings for you," she said dryly.

"You wouldn't be the first girl."

"I don't have any though! That's the stupid thing."

James brought his hand to his heart dramatically. "Ouch! Right where it hurts."

"Come on. You're with Pavana, I'm with Lysander…well, I was. We've both moved on, it's been months."

"Yeah, it has," commented James, but Elina continued on.

"Besides, my mind hasn't changed. We'd be terrible in a relationship, we haven't even spoken in months. We'd end up hurting each other, you know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I get it," James tried again, but Elina just kept on talking, getting more and more worked up.

"Even if I was still in love with you, it isn't fair! It isn't fair to ask you to break up with a perfectly lovely girl, just to jump into some stupid relationship that has no chance of working. It's not fair to tell you I don't want you, and just when you're happy, come back and be like 'Hey! I want you now!'. It's not fair for me not to let you go. It's not fair for me to expect you to come running back into my arms the second I click my fingers. I know you haven't been waiting for me, and why should you? Life goes on, even if you're stupidly stuck in the past because you were too stubborn and too sure that you knew everything about everything. It isn't fair of me to be in love with you."

James just looked at her. "Life isn't fair."

She let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah but people can be."

"Alright, then. We're even."

"Even?"

"Sure. I stole your boyfriend for my cousin and you turned me down. A broken heart for a broken heart."

"I feel like I get extra sympathy in all that. Because it's not like I didn't want to date you."

"Elina, what do you want from me?"

"I don't know."

"Look at that! You sound like me."

"Shoot me now."

"You love me." It was a statement not a question.

"Well, someone's cocky."

"You do though."

"I can't…I can't…"

Elina saw what James was going to do moments before he did it. She probably could have stopped him had she wanted to; but she didn't. He bent down and pressed his lips to hers, pinning her hair back behind her ear. She melted against him, against the feel of his body and the warmth of his touch. It was only a few moments before he pulled away, but it felt like hours.

"So…" he smiled, his fingers still resting against her cheek.

"So," she answered. "What about Pavana?"

"Oh, you know. Mentally healthy people…not all they're cracked up to be. A little boring, I've got to say."

"This is a terrible idea," she grinned.

"Well, you've come to the right place. I am the master of terrible ideas. Besides, it's not like I'm doing anything better than being torn to pieces by a relationship."

"Me neither."

"So, what do you say? Succumb to my charm and good looks?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you insist."

"It only took you four months."

"Are we really going to play the blame game, oh you who stole my boyfriend with the use of stolen potions?"

"I knew you were going to hold that over me."

"Hey, do you think we can get out now? Have we satisfied our captors?"

"I don't know." With a cheeky smiled, he slid his arm around her shoulder. "Are you sure you want to leave? I mean, we could stay here."

"Hmm…that's a very good plan."

Leaning in, he stopped with his lips only centimetres from hers. "Merry Christmas, Elina."

"Same to you Potter."

"Still calling me Potter, are we?"

"It's your name."

"I think we can do a little better than that."

"Merry Christmas _James_."

"That's better."

As he leaned in to kiss her again, she felt him smile against her. Not his forced half-smile either; a genuine happy smile. And for the first time in a long time, she wasn't thinking about her father or Lysander or Scorpius. There wasn't that ugly, irrational anger gnawing at her stomach. For the first time, she understood that look of Lysander's the content, inner calmness. There was no point in fighting or pretending anymore. She was in love with James Potter. And that, for now, was all that mattered.


End file.
